Authorities in the Islamic Republic arrested a French tourist about nine months ago. One of his lawyers announced the news, saying that the man's name was "Benjamin" and that Iranian judicial authorities are not allowing access to him and his case file.
Attorney Saeed Dehghan announced in a Twitter message that a young French tourist named "Benjamin" has been in detention for the past 9 months.
Mr. Dehghan told Reuters that the man faces "contradictory and false" charges and that his lawyers have neither been allowed access to the contents of the case file nor have they been allowed to meet with him.
The lawyer, who did not want to reveal 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 imprisoned French citizen told Reuters that the detainee, a 35-year-old man, was arrested after flying a drone in the desert near the Turkmenistan-Iran border.
French authorities and family members of the man have so far tried to keep the news of the arrest secret due to the conflicts prevailing in the region, so as not to harm the opportunities for negotiations with Iranian authorities for his release.
According to Reuters, the Islamic Republic's judiciary has not been willing to comment on this matter.
The French Foreign Ministry confirmed the news and said that a French citizen has been detained in Iran and that the ministry is monitoring the situation.
A person close to the family of the detained French citizen told Reuters that Benjamin works in the field of organizing events and had traveled from France to Iran in a van. He is in good health and has been able to contact his family three times since his arrest in May 2020, including twice in the past week.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has detained dozens of Iranians and foreigners over the past few years, including on espionage charges. One of those arrested is Fariba Adelkhah, a French-Iranian university professor who was sentenced to six years in prison in May 2020 on security charges.
Her husband, Roland Marchal, a French researcher, was also detained with her, but was released last year. Roland Marchal was released in exchange for the release of Jalal Ruhollahnejad, who was then being held in France on charges of violating US sanctions.
Source: DW
