The public prosecutor’s office in Iran has demanded the maximum sentence in the trial of the imprisoned Swedish EU employee Johan Floderus.

“The defendant had intensive contact with the Zionist regime (Israel) and directed several secret information abroad,” the prosecutor’s office accused him today, according to the justice portal Misan. “Therefore, the maximum penalty is demanded against the man.”

Floderus and his lawyers now have a week to present their final plea to the court. The trial took place again before a revolutionary court, which is mainly responsible for serious espionage cases in Iran. In addition to cooperation with the arch-enemy Israel, Sweden is also accused of violations of the country’s national security, which could mean a long prison sentence.

Death sentence in case of guilty verdict possible

However, the main charge is “corruption on earth”. If the 33-year-old Swede is found guilty according to this Islamic view of law, this could even lead to a death sentence against him. The Swede has asserted his innocence several times. He described his trip to Iran in the summer of 2022, when he was arrested, as purely private.

The Floderus trial in Iran is directly related to a trial in Sweden against an Iranian. The 62-year-old was convicted in Stockholm in July 2022 for involvement in mass executions of political prisoners in Iran in the late 1980s. The Court of Appeal confirmed the life sentence against him last year.

Relations between Sweden and Iran have cooled down significantly. In May, Tehran had a Swedish-Irani dissident exected. Another double citizen was also sentenced to death in Iran after espionage accusations. Critics accuse Iran of wanting to exert further pressure with a strict verdict against Floderus. At the same time, it is stated that Iran wants to force an exchange of prisoners with Sweden with its actions.