France denounced on Saturday, through the voice of its Minister for Foreign Affairs, the "political" condemnation in Iran of the anthropologist Fariba Adelkhah, demanding his immediate release. "This conviction is not based on any serious element or established fact and is therefore of a political nature," said Jean-Yves Le Drian in a press release. The Franco-Iranian academic was sentenced to five years in prison for "collusion with a view to attacking national security".
French diplomacy demands "consular access"
"I condemn with the utmost firmness" this verdict, added the head of French diplomacy, urging "the Iranian authorities to immediately release Mrs. Adelkhah" and demanding "consular access".
Detained in Evin prison in Tehran, this 61-year-old Shiism specialist has always claimed her innocence. His arrest in June 2019, like that of another French researcher, Roland Marchal, recently released, has always been denounced by France. But Iran does not recognize dual nationality.