The spokesperson for Iranian justice affirmed that the two trade unionists arrested on May 11 are accused of attempting to undermine national security, while France has formally advised its nationals not to travel to Iran ” whatever the reason “.
With our correspondent in Tehran, Siavosh Ghazi
The spokesperson for Iranian justice affirmed that the two trade unionists arrested on May 11 are accused of attempting to undermine national security, while France has formally advised its nationals not to travel to Iran ” whatever the reason “. According to the spokesperson for Justice, Massoud Setayechi, this accusation was served on Cécile Kohler, an official of a major French teachers’ union and her husband, Jacques Paris, detained for two months.
Recently, the sentence of eight years and eight months in prison for Benjamin Brière, arrested in May 2020, was confirmed while the Franco-Iranian researcher Fariba Adelkhah, sentenced to five years in prison, has been detained for three years. At the same time, Belgium announced the arrest four months ago of a Belgian national.
Towards an exchange of prisoners?
These cases come as Iran has demanded the release of its diplomat Assadollah Assadi, sentenced a year ago to twenty years in prison by the Belgian courts for having organized an attack against a gathering of the People’s Mujahideen in the Paris region. Tehran is also calling for the release of Hamid Nouri, tried in Sweden for his role in the 1987 executions.
A law presented by the Belgian government could allow the return of Assadollah Assadi to Iran. We could then witness an exchange between Iranians detained in Europe and nationals of European countries arrested in Iran, as has been the case in the past.