EthanBelgard
The French Foreign Ministry summoned Iranian ambassador Qasemi to demand the release of two citizens detained in Iran after a hunger strike.
"We express deep concern to Iranian ambassador Bahram Qasemi about the situation of Fariba Adelkhah, who went on a hunger strike. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs requests consular access to this citizen," the French Foreign Ministry said. said in today's announcement.
Two French citizens Fariba Adelkhah (left) and Roland Marchal (right) were arrested by Iran in June Photo: Sciences Po
Iranian-French scholar Adelkhah, who works at the Sciences Po Institute in Paris, was arrested in June and charged with espionage. Colleague Roland Marchal was arrested on a visit to Iran to visit Adelkhah on a "collusion of sabotage of national security".
Adelkhah is being held with Australian scholar Kylie Moore-Gilbert at Evin prison in Tehran. They announced a hunger strike in a letter on December 24.
"President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian have repeatedly stressed not to accept Iran's detention of French citizens Adelkhah and Marchal. The French government will be determined to act for their release." according to a French Foreign Ministry statement.
Iran refused to give France consular access to Adelkhah because it did not recognize dual nationality. The Iranian Revolutionary Court will hear two French citizens. Their bail application was rejected in early December.
Iran has arrested many foreigners and citizens of dual nationality on charges of spying and threatening national security. The move comes amid tensions between Iran and the West that escalated after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear treaty in August.
Among the detained foreign Iranian nationals was a British woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, American businessman Siamak Namaz and his father Mohammad Bagher Namazi. Iran can exchange these people for Iranian citizens detained abroad. American scholar Xiyue Wang was released in early December after serving 10 years in prison in exchange for Massoud Soleimani, an Iranian citizen held in the United States on charges of violating sanctions.
