Three French and one Iraqi, members of the French NGO SOS Chrétiens d'Orient, who had been kidnapped in Baghdad on January 20, 2020, have been released, the Elysee announced on Thursday evening, as France has just withdrawn its troops from Iraq.
Invited from Europe 1 on Friday morning, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said he was "delighted" by this release, thanking "all those who made it possible". "They are fine. They are currently at the French embassy in Baghdad, and are preparing to return to our territory," he said.
Fariba Adelkhah "still a prisoner"
The minister also welcomed the release of researcher Roland Marchal, detained in Iran for several months. "I would like to remind the Iranian authorities that Fariba Adelkhah remains a prisoner. I hope that they will hear the message delivered by the president and myself on several occasions," said Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Fariba Adelkhah, Franco-Iranian academic, has been detained in Iran since June. His companion, Roland Marchal, was released in mid-March by Tehran.