A French Tourist Was Detained in Iran Nine Months Ago
The Islamic Republic authorities detained a French tourist approximately nine months ago. One of his lawyers announced this news, stating that the individual is named “Benjamin” and Iranian judicial authorities are not allowing access to him and his case file.
Saeid Dehqan, a lawyer, announced in a Twitter message that a young French tourist named “Benjamin” has been held in detention for the past nine months.
Mr. Dehqan told the Reuters news agency that this person faces “contradictory and baseless” charges, and his lawyers have not been permitted to access the contents of his case file nor allowed to visit him.
This lawyer, who was unwilling to disclose the full name of the French citizen, added that the individual is currently being held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.
A person close to the family of the detained French citizen told Reuters that the detainee is 35 years old and was arrested after he flew a drone in a desert near the border between Turkmenistan and Iran.
French authorities and members of this individual’s family have so far attempted to keep the news of his detention secret and not make it public due to regional disputes, in order not to harm opportunities for negotiations with Iranian authorities for his release.
According to the Reuters news agency, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary has been unwilling to comment on this matter.
France’s Foreign Ministry, confirming the news, stated that a French citizen has been detained in Iran and the ministry is monitoring the situation.
A person close to the detained French citizen’s family told Reuters that Benjamin works in event organization and planning and had traveled to Iran from France in a van. He is in good health and since his detention in May 2020, has been able to contact his family three times, including twice during the past week.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has detained dozens of Iranians and foreigners in recent years, including on espionage charges. One of the detainees is Fariba Adelkhah, a university professor with French-Iranian citizenship, who was sentenced to six years in prison on security charges in May 2020.
Her husband, Roland Marchal, a French researcher, was also held in detention with her but was released last year. Roland Marchal was released in exchange for the release of Jalal Ruhullah Nejad. At that time, Ruhullah Nejad was imprisoned on charges of violating American sanctions in France.
Source: DW
