Fariba Adelkhah's final court session held
The final hearing of the trial of Fariba Adelkhah, a dual French-Iranian citizen, was held at the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Salavati. Salavati said that the final defense of Ms. Adelkhah has been taken by her lawyer and that the defendant's verdict will be issued within the stipulated time.
The Judiciary Media Center announced on Monday, May 1, that the final session of Fariba Adelkhah’s trial was held in Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati. Regarding Adelkhah’s trial, Judge Salavati said that Ms. Adelkhah’s final defenses have been received and “the defendant’s verdict will be issued within the legally prescribed deadline.”
Fariba Adelkhah is an Iranian-French anthropologist with dual citizenship who was arrested in Iran in June 2019 on charges including espionage, "propaganda against the regime," and "gathering and colluding against national security."
The researcher was recently hospitalized in Evin Prison Hospital due to deteriorating health as a result of his hunger strike. Adelkhah's lawyer said his client's condition is worrying. Fears of contracting the coronavirus have also added to these concerns.
Adelkhah's arrest caused tension between Iran and France, and French officials, including the French Foreign Minister and President, repeatedly called on Iran to release Ms. Adelkhah as soon as possible.
The final trial session of Fariba Adelkhah took place two weeks after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
There are many dual nationals in prison in Iran, including five Iranian-Americans. The Islamic Republic's policy is to occasionally exchange some of these prisoners with other countries. In this regard, Iran has carried out prisoner exchanges with Germany, the United States, Britain, and France in recent months.
Roland Gabriel Marshall, Ms. Adelkhah's partner, who had come to Iran last fall to meet with Adelkhah, was also arrested. However, he was released on April 1 in exchange for the release of Jalal Ruhollahnejad, an Iranian engineer who had been detained in France on charges of violating US sanctions, and handed over to the French embassy in Tehran. He returned to his country on April 2.
Marshall was also sentenced to five years in prison by the Tehran General and Revolutionary Court on charges of "acting against national security."
Source: DW
