The Islamic regime in Iran announced this Tuesday (14) the sentencing of two French citizens to sentences of more than 30 years in prison for espionage, conspiracy against national security and collaboration with Israel. According to the state agency Mizanlinked to the Iranian Judiciary, both were arrested in March 2023 and were said to be “employees of the French intelligence service”.
According to the statement, one of the Frenchmen received six years in prison for spying for French intelligence, five for conspiracy against national security and another 20 for collaboration with Israel. The second was sentenced to 10 years for espionage, five for conspiracy and 17 for cooperation with the Israeli state. The sentences, whose date of issuance was not announced, can still be appealed to the Iranian Supreme Court within 20 days.
The convictions come amid a history of tensions between Tehran and European countries over the arrest of foreigners and binationals, a practice often denounced by Western governments as “hostage diplomacy”. Currently, around 20 European citizens remain detained in Iranian territory.
The announcement came a week after Iran released 19-year-old French-German Lennart Monterlos, detained in June while cycling across the country. The student had been accused of espionage, but was acquitted two days before his release.
In addition to the two convicted, other French people remain imprisoned in Tehran. Among them are literature professor Cécile Kohler, 40, and her companion Jacques Paris, 70, detained since May 2022. Both were arrested on the last day of a tourist trip and, according to the French government, are victims of “arbitrary arrests”.
In May, Paris even called the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in The Hague, accusing Iran of holding “state hostages”. The complaint was withdrawn in September, when the Iranian regime signaled openness to a prisoner exchange. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said that Tehran hopes to “soon” exchange two French citizens for an Iranian woman detained in Paris.
The woman in question is Mahdie Esfandiari, 39, arrested in February on charges of “supporting the Palestinian people” in social media posts. The Iranian government demands his release as part of a diplomatic agreement.
Similar cases have already occurred this year. In January, Iran released Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, in exchange for the repatriation of Iranian Mohammad Abedini, imprisoned in Italy at the request of the United States.
