Iran frees two jailed French citizens

By : AFP

Date: 12 May 2023 3:31pm WAT

COMBO-FILES-FRANCE-IRAN-DIPLOMACY-JUSTICE-RIGHTS

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on May 12, 2023 shows an undated photograph made available by the family of Bernard Phelan on January 18, 2023, showing French-Irish citizen Bernard Phelan in an undisclosed location and an undated handout picture obtained from Saeid Dehghan's Twitter account, the lawyer of Benjamin Briere, a French man arrested last year in Iran on espionage charges, showing the latter posing for a picture at an undisclosed location. - Iran on May 12, 2023 released two French citizens jailed in separate cases and they are both now returning to France, the French foreign minister said. Bernard Phelan, who also holds Irish nationality, and Benjamin Briere were freed from their prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad and are "on their way to France", French Foreign Minister said. (Photos by Handout and - / various sources / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /FAMILY HANDOUT " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / SAEID DEHGHAN'S TWITTER ACCOUNT" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /FAMILY HANDOUT " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Saeid Dehghan's Twitter account" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS /

Iran on Friday released two French citizens jailed in separate cases, France said, urging Tehran to release four others still detained in the Islamic Republic.

Bernard Phelan, who also holds Irish nationality, and Benjamin Briere were freed from their prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad and are “on their way to France”, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said.

There had been grave concerns about the health of both men, both of whom had been on hunger strikes to protest their conditions.

President Emmanuel Macron added on Twitter: “Free, finally. Benjamin Briere and Bernard Phelan can reunite with their loved ones. It’s a relief”.

The flightradar24.com website showed that the Dassault Falcon plane had taken off from Mashhad around 1100 GMT and was due to touch down at Paris Le Bourget airport — no longer used for commercial flights — after 1700 GMT.

Benjamin Briere’s sister Blandine Briere, who has led the campaign for his release during her brother’s two-year ordeal, told AFP: “We are avoiding a tragedy. I have no words to describe the joy we feel.”

“We cannot tell you how relieved we are,” added Phelan’s sister Caroline in a statement.

The pair were among some two dozen foreigners jailed in Iran who campaigners see as hostages held in a deliberate strategy by Tehran to extract concessions from the West.

– ‘Difficult ordeal’ –

Phelan, 64, a Paris-based travel consultant, was arrested in October in Mashhad and has been held ever since.

In April, he was jailed for six and a half years on national security charges strongly rejected by his family.

With Iran rocked by anti-regime protests since September, Phelan was accused of taking photos of a burned mosque and police officers, and sending images to a British newspaper, the family said.

Phelan went on a dry hunger strike in January to protest his detention, refusing both food and water. But he stopped the action at the request of his family, who feared he would die. They said his health had deteriorated considerably in detention.

“The last seven months have been a very difficult ordeal for Bernard and for his family and I am pleased and relieved that this is now at an end,” said Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin.