Article author:
Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian authorities furloughed a French-Iranian academic sentenced to five years in prison for spreading propaganda, Iranian media said Tuesday. reported.
Her semi-official ISNA news agency quoted her Hojjat Kermani, a lawyer for Fariba Adelkhah, saying that Adelkhah said he was on five days' leave, but that will be extended. said he hopes
In January, Iranian judicial authorities ordered the re-imprisonment of Adelkhah, who was arrested in 2019. Adelkhah was allowed to serve her five-year prison sentence under her house arrest for some time.
She was accused of "propaganda against the political system of the Islamic Republic" and "conspiracy to undermine national security."
2020 In May, another French citizen, Benjamin Brière, was arrested and Iran sentenced the French tourist to eight years for taking pictures in a prohibited area and questioning Iran's Islamic hijab, which is mandatory for women. sentenced to imprisonment.
Tehran wants a large-scale prisoner exchange as part of ongoing negotiations in Vienna over the revival of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers. A similar swap accompanied the 2015 deal.
Adelkhah is one of Iran's western prisoners of dual citizenship. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship status, only Iranian citizens. Western countries have called on Iran to release dual citizens and others, claiming they are being used as bargaining chips.
