French police forcibly took off Mahdieh Esfandiari’s hijab after arbitrary arrest, says her sister
The sister of Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian citizen and university lecturer who has been arbitrarily detained in France for about six months, says French police officers forcibly removed her hijab from day one in custody.
Zahra Esfandiari made the remarks on Wednesday in an interview with Press TV.
She said that French policemen broke into her sister’s home in the French city of Lyon in the morning of February 28, 2025, and arrested her.
She said that her sister had a Telegram channel where she regularly shared updates on recent developments, particularly in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is waging a genocidal war.
There have been no court hearings into charges against Mahdieh, who is being kept in solitary confinement, Zahra added.
“She is under psychological pressure. They took away her hijab from day one.”
Zahra further said that French authorities are not allowing Mahdieh to continue her non-meat diet and choose the food that she wants to eat.
"They took off her hijab from day one!"
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) August 6, 2025
Sister of Mahdieh Esfandiari, a detained Iranian academic in France, says French authorities forcibly removed her sister's hijab after arresting her, and that Mahdieh is being kept in solitary confinement for her pro-Palestine views. pic.twitter.com/lmobpFG8Gw
Mahdieh Esfandiari, a 39-year-old Iranian linguist and graduate in French language, has lived in France for the past eight years.
She graduated from Lyon’s Lumière University, where she works as a professor, translator, and interpreter.
After an unexplained and prolonged absence following her arrest, the academic’s family notified Iranian officials.
French judicial authorities finally confirmed in early April 2025 that she had been detained and was being held at Freshness Prison in the suburbs of Paris.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office charged the Iranian academic with "apologie du terrorisme" (public defense of terrorism), based on her Telegram posts, which they claimed were supportive of the historic Palestinian operation against the Israeli regime on October 7, 2023.
Additional charges include "online provocation of terrorism, insults based on origin or religion, and refusal to provide access codes to her social media accounts."
Iran’s Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir has condemned Mahdieh Esfandiari’s “illegal” detention, saying it violates freedom of expression and personal security.
"Prosecutors allege terrorism charges, yet her posts solely defended Gaza’s oppressed population. In France, supporting oppressed nations is criminalized," he pointed out.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Expatriate Affairs Vahid Jalalzadeh has also denounced the academic’s detention as an “inhumane act” and a form of “hostage-taking” by the French judiciary.
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