The French government said on Friday (February 10) that Iranian-French academic Fariba Adelkhah was released from the Evin prison. According to a statement, the French foreign ministry said, “It is essential that all of Ms Fariba Adelkhah’s freedoms are restored, including returning to France if she wishes,” news agency Reuters reported. Adelkhah had been in prison after Iranian authorities arrested her in June 2019 during a visit. She is one of the seven French nationals detained in Iran- an issue which has worsened relations between the two countries.
On Friday, the foreign ministry reiterated the demand that all French nationals arbitrarily detained in Iran were released immediately and without conditions.
In 2020, Fariba Adelkhah was sentenced to five years in prison on national security charges. The Iranian authorities moved her to house arrest later but in January she returned to jail. The academic has denied these charges.
On Saturday, Adelkhah’s lawyer Hojjat Kermani told Reuters that she was freed last night. After speaking to Adekahm, Kermani said that the academic was happy just like any other prisoner would be when released from jail and the sentence ends.
However, the lawyer said that it was not yet clear how much longer Adelkhah would have to stay in Iran before returning to France. “Legally, her file is considered completed, and legally there should be no problem to leave the country, but this issue has to be reviewed. So … it is not clear how long it will take,” Kermani told the news agency on Saturday.
In recent years, dozens of dual nationals and foreigners have been arrested by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards mostly on charges of espionage and security. Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. However, Tehran which does not recognise dual nationality denies taking prisoners to gain diplomatic leverage.
(With inputs from agencies)
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