Swedish citizen detained in Iran for more than 500 days

A Swedish citizen believed to be an EU diplomat has been detained in Iran for more than 500 days, it was reported on Monday.

The man, who is in his thirties, was arrested in April 2022 and has been “arbitrarily deprived of his freedom”, a spokeswoman for Sweden's Foreign Ministry told The National.

The man was identified as EU official Johan Floderus by The New York Times, which first reported on the case.

He was a member of the EU's diplomatic corps who visited Iran on official business, but was arrested while travelling as a tourist, it reported.

The Swedish government did not confirm his name.

The ministry said it was “working very intensively on the case” and kept close contact with the EU.

Officials are “in contact with the family on practically a daily basis”, the ministry said.

“The Swedish citizen has been arbitrarily deprived of his freedom and should therefore be released immediately. This has been conveyed to the Iranian authorities,” it said.

It said it was not able to provide further details on concerns about “complicating the handling of the case”.

Sweden's embassy in Tehran. The government says it is working 'very intensively' to secure the release of its citizen. AFP

Iranian state media reported the arrest of a Swedish citizen on espionage charges last year. It claimed he was in contact with other suspects under surveillance in Iran.

The man is reportedly being held in Evin prison, which held foreign citizens such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori.

'Staying silent is criminally negligent'

Richard Ratcliffe, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, described the detention of Mr Floderus as a “shocking case”.

Speaking to The National, he said the EU and the Swedish government appear to have adopted a line similar to the one taken by the UK after his wife was arrested in Tehran in 2016 – silence.

After being advised by the Foreign Office in London to keep quiet, Mr Ratcliffe decided to go public after a month of no progress on his wife's situation.

In retrospect, he believes keeping silent would not have achieved anything.

“There’s no logic for keeping quiet,” he said.

“There’s no way that the Swedish government and EU’s decision to keep quiet about Johan’s case protects him but it protects others.

“It’s criminally negligent.

“Governments like to let on that there is this big hinterland of secret knowledge but I would be deeply sceptical of that.”

“Hostage-taking is a game of cat-and-mouse, and Iran wants to sort out other issues.”

He cited the case of Habib Chaab, a Swedish-Iranian dual citizen who was executed in May 2023. He was convicted of an attack in 2018 that killed dozens of people at a military parade in southern Iran.

“Since Johan was taken, a Swedish citizen has been executed,” Mr Ratcliffe said.

“I think there’s a real need to rethink the international approach to hostage taking,” he added, stressing that there is “no deterrent” in the current policy.

“Hostage diplomacy is growing. Iran’s attitude seems to be that if we get more aggressive we will get what we want.”

Mr Ratcliffe offered advice to Mr Floderus’ family, whom he said “will be terrified”.

“My friend said to me, it’s a hostage case – you don’t get out you get through. Everyone else wants to be the carrot, you’ve got to be the stick. You have to remind the government that this is shameful and intolerable.

“I would say follow your gut. There is no road map and everyone who does this is doing it for the first time. Each case is different.

“Just knowing that you are battling for him and knowing that people care will give him faith in human being and in the world.”

Jason Brodsky, policy director of the United Against Nuclear Iran think tank, said that while it was not unprecedented for Iran to hold a diplomat, it would mark a “serious escalation” given recent cases have typically concerned dual nationals, academics or business travellers.

He said it was an “indictment of the EU's Iran policy to keep it under wraps for 500 days” while the bloc was trying to revive nuclear diplomacy.

“This necessitates a transatlantic policy to deter hostage taking and a rethink of the EU's Iran policy,” he said.

Western citizens have repeatedly been detained in Iran in what is widely considered to be as a hostage-taking effort for political purposes.

Relations between Iran and Sweden have soured over the execution of Mr Chaab and the jailing in Sweden of convicted Iranian war criminal Hamid Nouri.

“We are aware and have been following very closely the case of a Swedish national detained in Iran,” the European Commission said.

“We are in a very close touch with the Swedish authorities who have the consular responsibility.

“We have no further information to disclose in the interest and safety of the individual concerned.

“This case has also to be seen in the context of the growing number of arbitrary detentions involving EU citizens. We have used and will continue to use every opportunity to raise the issue with the Iranian authorities to achieve – in close co-operation with the member states involved – the release of all arbitrarily detained EU citizens.”

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures

Tehran has used detainees to seek concessions as it spars with western countries over its nuclear activities, development of ballistic missiles, human rights record and efforts to spread influence in the Middle East.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release coincided with the UK settling a historic £400 million ($482 million) debt to Iran.

Last month’s release of four Americans from Evin prison came after $6 billion of Iranian funds were unfrozen in South Korea, an apparent deal that caused concern from former detainees.

British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert said it amounted to a “payment of ransom”, while former death row inmate Ana Diamond said she felt infuriated.

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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.

- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

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Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars