Johan Floderus is a 33-year-old Swedish citizen who works as an official for the European External Action Service (EEAS), the diplomatic arm of the European Union. He has been detained in Iran since April 2022, when he was arrested at Tehran’s airport while returning from a holiday. He is accused of espionage by the Iranian authorities, but his family and colleagues deny any wrongdoing and demand his immediate release.
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Biography & Education
Johan Floderus was born in 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden. He studied political science and international relations at Uppsala University and Lund University, where he graduated with a master’s degree in 2015. Floderus also spent a year as an exchange student at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, where he learned Arabic and developed an interest in the Middle East.
‼️ BREAKING: A European Union official from Sweden has been held hostage by Iran for over 500 days, reports @nytimes.
33-year-old Johan Floderus, who works for the EU's diplomatic corps, was apprehended in April 2022 while on a tourist visit to #Iran. pic.twitter.com/14yqRTUKTp
— EU Watch (@EUWatchBrussels) September 4, 2023He joined the EEAS in 2016 as a policy officer, working on various issues related to the EU’s foreign and security policy. He was based in Brussels, Belgium, but traveled frequently to different regions and countries, including Iran. Johan was described by his colleagues as a dedicated, professional, and friendly person, who had a passion for his work and a curiosity for other cultures.
He was also an avid traveler, who enjoyed exploring new places and meeting new people. He had visited Iran several times before his arrest, both for work and for leisure. Floderus had friends and contacts in Iran and was fascinated by its history, culture, and politics.
What happened to him in Iran?
On April 22, 2022, Johan Floderus arrived in Tehran for a two-week holiday. He had planned to visit some of the country’s historical and cultural sites, such as Isfahan, Shiraz, and Persepolis. He had also arranged to meet some of his Iranian friends and acquaintances.
However, Johan never made it out of the airport. As he was about to board his flight back to Brussels on May 6, 2022, he was stopped by Iranian security agents and taken away for questioning. He was not allowed to contact his family or the Swedish embassy, and his whereabouts remained unknown for several weeks.
In July 2022, Iran’s intelligence ministry announced that it had arrested a Swedish national on charges of espionage, without naming him. It claimed that he had been spying for foreign intelligence services, and had visited Israel before coming to Iran. It also said that Johan had been in contact with several European and non-European suspects in Iran, who were involved in subversive activities against the Islamic Republic.
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The Swedish foreign ministry confirmed that the person arrested was Floderus, and demanded consular access and due process for him. The EEAS also confirmed that he was one of its staff members, and expressed its full support for him. Both Sweden and the EU denied any allegations of espionage or wrongdoing by Johan, and called for his immediate release.
How has the international community reacted?
The case of Johan Floderus has drawn widespread attention and condemnation from the international community. Several human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have denounced his arbitrary detention and called for his release. They have also expressed concern about his health and well-being, as he has been held in solitary confinement in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where he has reportedly been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, has also raised his case with the Iranian authorities, and urged them to respect his rights and ensure a fair trial. He has also highlighted the worrying trend of Iran arbitrarily detaining EU nationals or dual-Iranian nationals for political reasons.
The EU has also taken several actions to pressure Iran to release Johan. In June 2022, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell publicly named him as the Swedish national detained by Iran, and said that he had been pushing the Iranian authorities to release him at every diplomatic meeting. In September 2022, the EU imposed targeted sanctions on eight Iranian officials
and three entities involved in serious human rights violations, including those responsible for Johan Floderus’s arrest. In November 2022, the UN Human Rights Council established a fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations relating to the popular uprising that erupted in Iran in September 2022, which also included Floderus’s case.
Sweden has also been actively pursuing Johan Floderus’s case through diplomatic channels. The Swedish foreign minister Ann Linde has repeatedly raised his case with her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and demanded his release. The Swedish embassy in Tehran has also been trying to obtain consular access to him, but has only been allowed to visit him twice since his arrest.
What is the current status of his case?
As of September 6, 2023, Johan Floderus remains in detention in Iran, without any formal charges or trial. His family and lawyers have not been able to communicate with him or access his case file. His health condition is unknown, but there are fears that he may have contracted Covid-19 in prison, where the pandemic has been rampant.
His case has been handled by the Revolutionary Court, a special tribunal that deals with national security and political cases, and is notorious for its lack of independence and impartiality. The court has repeatedly postponed his hearings, citing various reasons such as the pandemic, the lack of evidence, or the change of judges. The court has also denied him the right to choose his own lawyer, and has appointed a state-approved lawyer who has not met him or defended him effectively.
His family and colleagues have expressed their frustration and despair over his prolonged and unjust detention, and have appealed to the Iranian authorities to release him on humanitarian grounds. They have also launched a campaign on social media, using the hashtag #FreeJohanFloderus, to raise awareness and solidarity for his case.
Johan Floderus Wiki
| Name | Johan Floderus |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1990 |
| Place of birth | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Occupation | EU official |
| Education | Master’s degree in political science and international relations |
| Languages | Swedish, English, Arabic, Persian |
| Date of arrest | May 6, 2022 |
| Place of arrest | Tehran’s airport |
| Charges | Espionage |
| Status | Detained without trial |
| Homepage | wikicelebs.com |
Trivia
- Johan Floderus is an avid traveler who has visited more than 50 countries around the world.
- According to wikicelebs.com, he is interested in photography and music, and plays the guitar and the piano.
- He is a fan of football and supports the Swedish national team and AIK Stockholm.
- Floderus is engaged to his girlfriend Sara, who lives in Brussels and works as a journalist.
- He has a younger brother named Erik, who is a doctor in Stockholm.
FAQs
Q: Why was Johan Floderus arrested in Iran?
A: He was arrested on suspicion of espionage by the Iranian authorities, who claimed that he had been spying for foreign intelligence services and had visited Israel before coming to Iran. However, his family and colleagues deny any wrongdoing and say that he was only visiting Iran for a holiday.
Q: How long has Johan Floderus been detained in Iran?
A: He has been detained in Iran for over 500 days, since May 6, 2022. He has not been formally charged or tried, and his hearings have been repeatedly postponed.
Q: Where is Johan Floderus being held in Iran?
A: He is being held in solitary confinement in Evin prison, a notorious facility where many political prisoners and human rights defenders are detained. He has reportedly been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment there.
Q: What are the conditions of Johan Floderus’s detention in Iran?
A: He has been denied his basic rights as a detainee, such as the right to consular access, the right to choose his own lawyer, the right to a fair trial, and the right to contact his family. He has only been allowed to visit his state-appointed lawyer twice since his arrest, and his family and lawyers have not been able to communicate with him or access his case file. His health condition is unknown, but there are fears that he may have contracted Covid-19 in prison.
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