“Fariba Adelkhah and Roland Marshall to be tried in March”
According to Adelkhah and Marshall's lawyer, their trial is scheduled to take place in March. In an interview with AFP, Saeed Dehghan denied the statements of Esmaili, the spokesman for the judiciary, regarding the conviction of the two imprisoned researchers.
Saeed Dehghan, the lawyer for Fariba Adelkhah and Roland Marshall, who are in Evin Prison, told AFP on Tuesday, February 18, that he saw the indictment "yesterday" and that his clients' trial is scheduled to be held on March 3 of this year.
Two researchers from the Paris-based École Polytechnique were arrested in Tehran in June 2019. Adelkhah was charged with “propaganda against the regime” and “collusion to carry out actions against national security,” and Marshall was charged with “collusion to carry out actions against national security.”
Previously, Gholamhossein Esmaeili, spokesman for the judiciary, said in a press conference that the cases of the two researchers had been reviewed in the presence of Dehghan and that they were serving their sentences.
Their lawyer denied the news and said, "We are preparing our defense."
In early February, Saeed Dehghan announced that two defendants were to be officially married in Evin Prison, saying that their case had been sent to Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Salavati.
Fariba Adelkhah began a hunger strike seven weeks ago, but ended it last week after experiencing physical problems.
Tensions between Paris and Tehran
The pair's arrest has raised tensions between Iran and France. The French government said on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had called for the "immediate release" of the two researchers during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart at the Munich Security Conference.
On this day, the French Foreign Ministry spokesman also called for "consular access" to the two French citizens, which he said "must be possible in an orderly manner and in accordance with international obligations."
Adelkhah holds both French and Iranian citizenship, but the Iranian government does not recognize dual citizenship and has repeatedly criticized France for “interference” in Adelkhah’s case.
Source: DW
