TEHRAN \u2013 Mahdieh Esfandiari, a 39-year-old Iranian translator and academic at Lyon\u2019s Lumiere University, has been detained in France since February 28, over social media posts supporting Palestine.<\/p>\n
Her sister, Mohaddeseh Esfandiari, called the arrest a “hostage-taking” during an interview with Iran\u2019s state television on Tuesday, revealing that Mahdieh remains in solitary confinement under deteriorating physical and psychological conditions.<\/p>\n
“After 55 days, they finally granted consular access,” she stated, emphasizing that her sister is denied the right to wear her hijab and faces severe nutritional and emotional distress.<\/p>\n
Vahid Jalalzadeh, Iran\u2019s Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Iranian Expatriates Affairs, echoed the family\u2019s outrage, asserting that Esfandiari\u2019s detention constitutes “hostage-taking by a nation claiming to champion free expression.”<\/p>\n
He confirmed that French authorities have presented no credible legal evidence to justify charging her with “apologie du terrorisme (incitement to terrorism).”<\/p>\n
“Her only crime was publishing content in solidarity with Gaza\u2019s oppressed people,” Jalalzadeh stressed, noting that Iran initiated 42 diplomatic and legal actions since March 4, including formal notes, summoning French envoys, and securing legal representation.<\/p>\n
Despite three consular meetings with the detained academic\u2014the latest on May 28 with Iran\u2019s Ambassador to Paris\u2014family visits remain prohibited.<\/p>\n
Jalalzadeh also verified that French prison officials are coercing Esfandiari to remove her hijab, a violation of her fundamental religious rights.<\/p>\n
Esfandiari\u2019s arrest followed a violent police raid on her home in Lyon, where masked officers broke down her door and took her away without explanation.<\/p>\n
For weeks, her family and Iranian diplomats received no information about her whereabouts until French magazine Le Point revealed she was held in Fresnes Prison near Paris.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors tied her case to a 2023 report by France\u2019s National Online Hate Crime Center (PNLH), accusing her of publishing social media posts about Palestinian fighters\u2019 Al-Aqsa Storm Operation in October 2023 of “inciting terrorism.”<\/p>\n
Notably, the PNLH has faced scrutiny for systematically suppressing pro-Palestine voices, including banning the activist group Collectif Palestine Vaincra and prosecuting trade unionist Anasse Kazib for similar social media activity.<\/p>\n
In a press conference on Tuesday, Asghar Jahangir, Spokesperson for Iran\u2019s Judiciary, condemned the detention as “illegal and a blatant breach of freedom of expression and personal security,” citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights\u2014both ratified by France.<\/p>\n
“Prosecutors allege terrorism charges, yet her posts solely defended Gaza\u2019s oppressed population. In France, supporting oppressed nations is criminalized,” he stated.<\/p>\n
Jahangir confirmed Iran\u2019s High Council for Human Rights is pursuing Esfandiari\u2019s unconditional release through diplomatic channels.<\/p>\n
Silencing pro-Palestine voices while fueling genocide<\/strong><\/p>\n Esfandiari\u2019s case mirrors Paris\u2019s escalating crackdown on Iranian activists and journalists.<\/p>\n One case involves the Iranian-French journalist Shahin Hazamy, who was arrested on April 22 when 10 masked officers stormed his Paris home, causing significant distress to his wife and young children.<\/p>\n Charged with “apologie du terrorisme,” Hazamy had previously criticized Esfandiari\u2019s detention and shared a viral video of a Palestinian mother at a Paris rally that garnered 50 million views just days before his arrest.<\/p>\n In another instance, Bashir Biazar\u2014previously associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting\u2014was deported in June 2024 after spending 28 days in administrative detention for Instagram posts condemning the Israeli regime\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza.<\/p>\n Paris accused him of “anti-French remarks,” a measure that Iran\u2019s Judiciary condemned as a human rights violation.<\/p>\n Biazar, now freed, contends that these arrests reflect France\u2019s “medieval tactics” to align with Israeli interests.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile France defended Charlie Hebdo\u2019s anti-Islam cartoons as free speech, it prosecutes Muslims for supporting Palestine,\u201d he stated in a recent interview with an Iranian TV channel, adding that \u201cthis hypocrisy exposes a campaign to criminalize anti-Zionism under the guise of combating terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n France\u2019s ongoing repression of pro-Palestine voices stands in sharp contrast to President Macron\u2019s claims of pressuring the Israeli regime over Gaza\u2019s humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n While French authorities have recently issued tepid threats of sanctions against Israeli officials, critics argue that these measures are both too little and too late.<\/p>\n For decades, Paris has maintained an uneasy military connection with Tel Aviv. Despite public posturing, French companies have supplied crucial components to the Israeli arms industry.<\/p>\n Recent revelations show shipments\u2014including a 14-tonne consignment of machine gun spare parts from the port of Fos-sur-Mer\u2014further entrench this complicity.<\/p>\n French dockworkers have even taken to blocking these shipments, condemning their role in facilitating an ongoing campaign against Palestinian civilians.<\/p>\n This dual strategy exemplifies France\u2019s dangerous complicity, silencing pro-Palestine voices while bolstering Israel’s war machine.
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