Sweden summons Iran envoy after reports of citizen’s death sentence

Sweden summoned the Iranian ambassador this week following reports that a Swedish citizen had been sentenced to death in Iran, the Scandinavian country’s foreign minister says.

Iran’s judiciary on Tuesday said that a dual national, arrested during the recent 12-day war with Israel and who has since been put on trial for espionage, was an Iranian and Swedish citizen.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard tells AFP that Sweden’s foreign ministry received reports that the man had been handed the death penalty.

“We have received reports that he has been sentenced to death in the first instance, but we have not been able to confirm those reports. We are naturally trying to do so.

“We have summoned Iran’s ambassador, on Wednesday, to clearly condemn the death sentence,” she says.

“Sweden and the EU’s position on the death penalty is very clear. We always oppose it, everywhere and regardless of circumstances, and this is well known,” Stenergard tells reporters.

Tehran itself has released little information on the case, one of multiple arrests that took place during and after the brief war in which Israel and then the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities, and Iran responded with barrages of ballistic missiles at Israel.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.