Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari has returned to Iran after being held in France as part of a deal involving the release of two French citizens.
The release of Mahdieh Esfandiari, a “rights activist” who was sentenced to one year in prison for online support of Palestine and the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, marks a significant development following a year-long detention in France. Esfandiari, a graduate of the University of Lyon and translator, had been residing in France since 2018 and was initially arrested in February last year on charges of “promoting terrorism”. She was released on bail in October but subsequently detained again. Esfandiari expressed her dissatisfaction with the legal system in France, stating that there was “no freedom of speech” there. This homecoming coincides with the return of French citizens Cecile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, who had been held in Iran for over three years on espionage charges. Kohler and Paris were initially arrested in May 2022 and released on bail in November last year, following more than three years of imprisonment. They were subject to house arrest until their full release on April 7, facilitated by French diplomats and a journey via Azerbaijan to Paris. The release of both Esfandiari and the French citizens was attributed to a "long-term effort" by President Macron's office, with negotiations accelerating due to pressure from the US-Israel war on Iran. While a formal acknowledgement of an exchange wasn’t made, Iranian state-run IRNA reported that an agreement was reached with Paris for the release of the French citizens in exchange for Esfandiari. DATA: Release of Mahdieh Esfandiari comes a week after Iran released two French citizens held on espionage charges.
Sources: Based on reporting from Al Jazeera
✨ This report was generated by AI News Assistant.
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