Fariba Adelkhah and Roland Marchal to Be Tried in March

According to the lawyer of Adelkhah and Marchal, their court hearing is scheduled for March. Saeid Dehghani, in a conversation with the French news agency, denied the statements of Esmaili, the spokesperson for the judiciary, regarding the conviction of the two imprisoned researchers.

Saeid Dehghani, the lawyer for Fariba Adelkhah and Roland Marchal, who are imprisoned in Evin Prison, said on Tuesday, February 29th (February 18th) in a conversation with the French news agency that he reviewed the indictment “yesterday” and the court hearing for his clients is scheduled for March 3rd of this year.

The two researchers from Sciences Po Paris were arrested in Tehran in June 2019. Adelkhah’s charges are stated as “propaganda against the system” and “conspiracy to carry out activities against national security,” and Marchal’s charge is “conspiracy to carry out activities against national security.”

Earlier, Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, the spokesperson for the judiciary, had said in a press conference that the case of the two researchers was reviewed in the presence of Dehghani and they are serving their sentences.

Their lawyer, while denying this report, said: “We are preparing our defense.”

In early February, Saeid Dehghani, while announcing that the two defendants are scheduled to formally marry in Evin Prison, stated that their case has been referred to Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court under the presidency of Judge Solwati.

Fariba Adelkhah went on a hunger strike seven weeks ago but ended it a week ago following health complications.

Tensions Between Paris and Tehran

The arrest of this couple has created tension between Iran and France. The French government announced on Tuesday that Jean-Yves Le Drian, the country’s Foreign Minister, in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart at the Munich Security Conference, demanded the “immediate release” of the two researchers.

On the same day, the spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry also called for “consular access” to the two French citizens, which according to him should be “regular and in accordance with international commitments.”

Adelkhah, in addition to French nationality, also holds Iranian nationality. However, the Iranian government does not recognize dual nationality and has repeatedly criticized France for “interference” in Adelkhah’s case.

Source: DW