PARIS (Reuters) -An Iranian courtroom on Tuesday sentenced French nationwide Benjamin Briere to eight years in prison on spying expenses, his Paris-based lawyer mentioned, describing the trial as a politically motivated sham and his consumer as a “bargaining chip”.
Briere, 36, has been held in Iran since May 2020, when he was arrested after flying a helicam – a remote-controlled mini helicopter used to acquire aerial or movement photos – in the desert close to the Turkmenistan-Iran border.
The ruling comes at a delicate time because the United States and European events to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal attempt to restore the pact that was deserted in 2018 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
“It is unacceptable that Benjamin Briere stays a hostage to negotiations on the a part of a regime that persists in its want to arbitrarily detain a French citizen and use him as a bargaining chip,” lawyer Philippe Valent mentioned in an announcement.
France has been seen as harder in nuclear negotiations with Iran than a number of the different events to the deal.
Briere, who has persistently denied any wrongdoing, was given an extra eight-month sentence for “propaganda in opposition to the Islamic Republic”, Valent mentioned.
Briere will attraction in opposition to the ruling, mentioned Saeid Dehghan, one in every of his Iranian attorneys. He mentioned his consumer had been shocked by the sentence, which was harsher than anticipated and included an extra cost of cooperating in opposition to Iran with hostile states.
“His sentence relies on a special authorized clause than the sooner one … He has been convicted of cooperation with hostile states in opposition to Iran which carries an extended sentence than his earlier one,” Dehghan mentioned.
HUNGER STRIKE
Briere has been on a starvation strike since Christmas.
“Benjamin Briere clearly didn’t – nor ever – profit from any type of honest trial earlier than neutral judges,” Valent mentioned. “This ruling is the results of a purely political course of.”
Iran’s judiciary was not instantly accessible for remark. France’s overseas ministry mentioned the decision was “unacceptable”, including that it was in common contact with Briere.
France has warned Tehran in the previous that the way in which it’s dealing with the instances of French nationals held in Iran might bitter ties.
Briere’s household are alarmed by his bodily and psychological situation, Valent mentioned, urging the French authorities to step in.
In current years, Iran’s elite (*8*) Guards have arrested dozens of twin nationals and foreigners, totally on expenses associated to espionage and safety.
Rights teams have accused Iran of making an attempt to extract concessions from different international locations by way of such arrests. Western powers have lengthy demanded that Tehran free their residents, who they are saying are political prisoners.
Earlier this month, Iran re-imprisoned Franco-Iranian educational Fariba Adelkhah, sentenced to 5 years in jail in 2020 however just lately dwelling beneath home arrest. France has demanded Adelkhah’s instant launch.
(Reporting by Sophie Louet, Tassilo Hummel and John Irish in Paris and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Richard Lough; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, William Maclean)
