Swedish citizens advise against traveling to Iran
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised citizens not to travel unnecessarily to the Islamic Republic due to the security risks for foreigners.
The statement from Stockholm was made on Thursday after the Swedish prosecutors demanded a life sentence for the former Iranian prison guard Hamid Noury (Nouri), who is on trial in Sweden for his role in the killing of thousands of prisoners in 1988.
Sweden is probably worried that Iran may detain Swedish citizens for having more bargaining chips for the release of Nouri, who was arrested in November 2019 when he visited Sweden and accused of war crimes for his role in the execution of up to 5,000 political prisoners. Sweden used the principle of universal jurisdiction to arrest and prosecute Noury, as the alleged crimes amounted to war crimes.
According to the ministry, this means that travel advice for the purpose of visiting or tourism will apply until further notice and covers the entire country.
The statement said law enforcement and interpretation of the law could violate international standards in the Islamic Republic and foreign travelers could be arbitrarily imprisoned and prosecuted for no apparent reason.
A Swedish-Iranian researcher Ahmad-Reza Djalai risks being sentenced to death in Iran after he was arrested on false accusations of espionage.
Sweden on March 10 two alleged Iranian agents were deported back to Iranwho were arrested for links to a terrorist plot, instead of bringing them to justice, because they do not want more tensions in their relations with Tehran.