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A Swiss national arrested in Iran and accused of spying has died in prison, according to Iranian state media. <\/p>\n
The man was being held with another inmate at a prison in the eastern city of Semnan when he “committed suicide” on Thursday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency said. <\/p>\n
The judiciary-run Mizan News Agency said prison officials immediately took action to save the Swiss citizen’s life, but their efforts were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
Mizan gave no further detail about the man’s identity. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
“This morning, a Swiss citizen committed suicide in Semnan prison,” a statement on Mizan’s website, attributed to Mohammad Sadegh Akbari, Semnan’s chief justice, said.<\/p>\n
The statement added that he had been “arrested by Iranian security forces for espionage” and the case was “under investigation”. <\/p>\n
In recent years, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.<\/p>\n
Switzerland plays an important intermediary role between Washington and Tehran as it represents American interests in Iran and shares messages between the two countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n