Iran and Sweden have confirmed a prisoner exchange, resulting in the release of a former Iranian official who was imprisoned in Sweden.
In exchange, Tehran freed two Swedish nationals, including a diplomat representing the European Union, who had been detained in Iran.
Iran’s human rights chief announced on social media that a detained Iranian national, held in Sweden since 2019, has been released and will return to Iran soon.
Shortly after, Sweden’s prime minister confirmed that two Swedish nationals, including a diplomat, who were detained in Iran, have been freed and are en route back to Sweden.
The diplomat had been held since April 2022 on espionage charges, facing a potential death sentence.
The second Swedish national, detained in Iran since November 2023, is en route home and will be reunited with their family, according to the Swedish Prime Minister.
The release of the Iranian national was made possible by diplomatic efforts led by the late Iranian foreign minister, who passed away in a helicopter accident in May.
Following mediation by Oman, Iran and Sweden agreed to a mutual release of detained nationals.
The individuals were transferred to Muscat on June 15, 2024, for repatriation, as confirmed by the official Oman News Agency.
Majid, the son of Hamid Noury, expressed gratitude in a social media post for the efforts of Iranian officials that led to his father’s release after nearly five years in detention.
He announced plans to welcome his father upon arrival at Tehran’s Mehrabad airport on Saturday.
Noury, a former Iranian prison official, was arrested in Stockholm in 2019 and subsequently sentenced to life in prison in connection with the deaths of thousands of prisoners in Iran in 1988.
The case has been linked to a broader incident involving the execution of political prisoners during the same time period.
A Swedish court had convicted Hamid Noury of serious violations of international humanitarian law and murder, but he maintained that he was on leave during the relevant period.
Iran condemned the sentence, while Sweden asserted that the trial was conducted under its principle of universal jurisdiction.
According to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Iran had used the detained Swedish nationals as bargaining chips to secure Noury’s release.
Kristersson stated that his government had worked closely with the Swedish security service to negotiate with Iran, acknowledging that difficult decisions were necessary to ensure the safety of Swedish citizens.
He emphasised that the priority was to secure the release of the detained nationals, which has now been achieved.
Iran is currently holding several Swedish citizens, including Ahmad Reza Jalali, a dual national who has been sentenced to death on espionage charges. Iran does not recognize dual nationality.
Additionally, several European nationals from France, Britain, Germany, and Austria are also being held in Iran. On Thursday, French citizen Louis Arnaud was released and returned to Paris after being detained in Iran for over 20 months on national security charges.
Some activists and Western governments have accused Iran of detaining foreign nationals as a means of exerting political pressure on other countries.
However, Oman has successfully facilitated several prisoner releases, including a swap deal between Iran and the US, and the release of six European detainees in Iran last year.
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