Franco-Iranian researcher Fariba Adelkhah, who is serving a five-year prison sentence in Iran, has been granted five-day leave, her French support committee announced on Tuesday (August 9th).

This announcement comes at a time when the major powers are awaiting a response from Iran to a European proposal for an agreement on its nuclear program.

“Fariba today benefited from a leave of absence from Evin prison, under judicial control and for a period of 5 days, possibly renewable”, indicated his support committee in a press release.

"We are therefore delighted with this respite, but can only recall the unacceptable nature of the deprivation of liberty of which our colleague and friend is the object, within the framework of a public policy of hostage-taking on the part of the Islamic Republic of Iran", underlines the committee, recalling that other French and Europeans are also detained in this country.

Permission to leave for Fariba!


Selfies to wish Fariba a safe return to his new apartment during his leave for the next 5 days#FreeFariba@ScPoResearch @sciencespo https://t.co/53IhI55a1c

— CERI Sciences Po (@CERI_SciencesPo) August 9, 2022

Several French detained in Iran

A specialist in Shiism and post-revolutionary Iran at the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) in Paris, Fariba Adelkhah was arrested in June 2019, then sentenced in May 2020 to five years in prison for undermining national security. , which his relatives have always fiercely denied.

Under house arrest since October 2020 in Tehran with the obligation to wear an electronic bracelet, limited in her movements, she was reincarcerated in January 2022 for having broken these rules, according to the judicial authorities.

Twenty nationals of Western countries, including many dual nationals – Iran does not recognize dual nationality – remain detained or stranded in the country.

NGOs accuse Tehran of taking them hostage to obtain concessions from foreign powers.

Among them are three French people, in addition to Fariba Adelkhah: Benjamin Brière, arrested in May 2020 and sentenced in January to eight years and eight months in prison for espionage, which he disputes, and two trade unionists, Cécile Kohler and her spouse Jacques Paris , arrested in May and charged with "undermining the security" of Iran.

With AFP

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