Swedish EU official Johan Floderus, 33, has been imprisoned in Iran for over 500 days. He was arrested last spring when he was about to leave the country after a tourist visit to Tehran.
Now he is reportedly in the infamous Evin prison. The Danish vlogger Thomas Kjems, 28, was in the same prison for eight months and met Johan Floderus.
– Johan seemed to be in good physical and mental shape, but it had been a while since we met, he says in Aktuellt.
Thomas Kjems was arrested at a hostel in Iran last October in connection with a trip to the country. He was in Iran at the same time as the nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini erupted.
In June, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange.
Want to get a prisoner exchange
The arrest of Johan Floderus is also said to be part of a political game to get a prisoner exchange with Hamid Noury, who was sentenced last year in Sweden for murder and international human rights crimes committed in the 80s in Iran.
Johan Floderu’s possible release must also have been discussed in connection with the release of Thomas Kjems, and three other European citizens, according to SVT’s information. But that was not the case.
Thomas Kjems describes how Evin Prison consists of larger cells of approximately 30 square meters with room for 10-15 people and smaller cells of around 15 square meters with room for six people.
Had to wait for a phone call
He remembers from his time in prison that Johan Floderus had to wait a long time for his first phone call.
– I want to remember that I got my first phone call after four days, but I remember that Johan had to wait much longer. It took several months before he received his first call.
Iran accuses Johan Floderus of espionage, but according to Rouzbeh Parsi, head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Foreign Policy Institute, it speaks volumes that the arrest lacks a legal basis.
– The Iranian judiciary is very politicized, so it is difficult to take this type of accusation seriously, he says in Aktuellt.