France’s detention of Iranian academic Esfandiari clear case of political hostage-taking

By Ali Khodabandeh

The arbitrary and illegal detention of Iranian academic Mahdieh Esfandiari in France has revealed new dimensions of “double standards” and “political hypocrisy” in the so-called homeland of human rights and freedom of expression.

This particular case goes beyond an individual matter and has become a global symbol exposing the deceit of Western powers.

While the Iranian national has been detained for over seven months in a Paris suburb prison without any legal basis, the Iranian judiciary announced on Monday the acquittal of Lennart Monterlos, a young Franco-German arrested in Iran in June over espionage.

This news emerged as Paris and Tehran engaged in negotiations for the release of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris — also imprisoned in Iran for espionage — in exchange for freeing Mahdieh Esfandiari, the Iranian national falsely accused of “glorifying terrorism.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in a televised interview recently that an agreement to exchange French prisoners for an Iranian academic was nearing its “final stage.”

The case of Esfandiari highlights France’s blatant violations of women’s rights and the complete absence of freedom of expression, exposing the hollow rhetoric of the Élysée leadership.

Since March 2, Esfandiari has been imprisoned in Fresnes, south of Paris, for social media posts condemning the genocide in Gaza and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.

However, her case is not isolated — it fits into a broader pattern of manipulating “freedom of expression” for political blackmail and hostage-taking.

A flagship example of political hostage-taking

On March 2, 2025, Esfandiari, a 39-year-old Iranian academic living in Lyon, was arrested by French security agents after a surprise raid on her home.

Her family described the incident as a kidnapping or hostage-taking, saying that police arrived unannounced, took her away in a van, and detained her without charge or legal assistance for months.

Her arrest was neither a criminal case nor a civil rights issue. No evidence of wrongdoing has been presented, and the accusations against her — vaguely worded as “glorifying terrorism” — lack any factual or legal basis, making the case highly suspicious.

Her only “crime” was defending the rights of Palestinians in Gaza, who have endured a modern-day holocaust at the hands of the Israeli regime — with France’s support.

Under French law, any detention exceeding 48 hours without a judicial warrant is illegal. Yet Esfandiari has spent 226 days now behind bars under vaguely defined allegations of “endangering national security.”

No concrete evidence has been produced to substantiate these spurious claims. Her detention blatantly violates the guarantees enshrined in the French Code of Criminal Procedure and the European Convention on Human Rights.

After more than seven months, it has become evident that her arrest and charges were baseless, and that Paris intends to use her as a bargaining chip in a prisoner exchange with Iran — trading her freedom for French nationals imprisoned in Tehran on espionage charges.

Human rights advocates warn that France is arbitrarily arresting Iranian citizens on its soil merely to extract diplomatic concessions from the Iranian judiciary — to secure the release of its convicted spies in Iran.

Esfandiari’s imprisonment starkly exposes France’s double language and glaring double standards regarding both freedom of expression and women’s rights.

It proves that freedom of expression in France is tolerated only when it aligns with government interests. Any criticism of the West or Israel is swiftly and harshly suppressed.

Acquittal of a Franco-German arrested for espionage

An Iranian court last week announced the acquittal of Lennart Monterlos, a Franco-German national arrested for espionage.

Mojtaba Ghahremani, head of the judiciary in Hormozgan province, stated that a court in Bandar Abbas city had acquitted Monterlos, who was arrested by Iranian security agencies for spying during the Israeli-American aggression against Iran in June.

He explained that the court had thoroughly reviewed the case, despite the fact that the Franco-German was arrested under wartime conditions and formally charged with espionage.

“Considering legal principles and doubts surrounding the alleged crime, the court delivered an acquittal verdict, though the prosecutor retains the right to appeal,” Ghahremani said, emphasizing that Iran’s judiciary is committed to upholding the law, justice, and impartiality.

The Hormozgan judiciary continues to handle espionage cases with due diligence and will act firmly against proven offenders, he asserted.

On June 13, Israel launched a large-scale and unprovoked aggression on Iran, sparking a 12-day war that killed at least 1,064 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. The US joined the aggression by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites, in flagrant violation of international law.

In retaliation, Iranian armed forces targeted strategic sites in the occupied territories and the US Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the largest American base in West Asia.

During the imposed war, Iranian intelligence and security services arrested more than 700 individuals involved in espionage and sabotage networks across the country.

They were charged with using attack drones, manufacturing bombs, spying on military sites, and passing information to the Israeli spy agency Mossad.

In recent weeks, several individuals convicted of collaborating with Mossad were executed following legal procedures and confirmation of their death sentences by Iran’s Supreme Court.

Regarding the recent developments involving the Iranian woman imprisoned in France and the two French citizens arrested in Iran, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated:

“These are two separate cases. In the case of the two French citizens detained in Iran, the charges are clear. However, in the case of the Iranian citizen arrested in France, we consider her detention illegal, and no legal justification has been provided so far.”

Freedom of expression: The French paradox

France’s arrest of the Iranian national simply for expressing support for the people of Gaza violates Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression…”

Article 9 of the same declaration adds: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.” And Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights affirms: “No one shall be subjected to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.”

In principle, freedom of expression is supposed to be a cornerstone of democracy under the French Constitution. Yet when expression collides with notions such as “terrorism” or “apology for terrorism,” the French judiciary intervenes and imposes restrictions.

Thus, France’s reaction stems from these vague accusations, since “glorifying terrorism” is classified as a criminal offense in French law. The real question, however, is whether expressing sympathy for Gaza’s civilians genuinely constitutes such an offense. The Iranian government maintains that no real evidence has been presented.

Beyond legal punishment, the political dimensions of this case cannot be ignored. France is now viewed as a country that, on one hand, champions freedom, yet on the other, silences dissenting voices — creating a major paradox in its human rights and diplomatic posture.

While France claims to act lawfully, in practice, it has sacrificed the very ideal of “freedom of expression.” Even a statement of solidarity with the oppressed, if it contradicts official policy, can lead to long-term detention and isolation.

This behavior reflects a system that preaches human rights to the world while suppressing any voices not aligned with Western policy. Esfandiari’s case highlights the profound disparity between rhetoric and reality regarding human rights and freedom of expression.

Today, under the banner of free speech, the French government not only fails to defend humanity and individual liberty but also, with shameless hypocrisy, punishes defenders of human dignity and critics of one of history’s most scandalous genocides with severe sentences.

Silencing of dissenting voices in Europe

On September 28, Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused French intelligence services of asking him — through an intermediary — to censor certain Moldovan Telegram channels ahead of last year’s Moldovan presidential election, in exchange for assistance in his French legal case.

Durov said that while detained in Paris, French intelligence approached him via an intermediary, whom he did not name, to request the “censorship” of certain Telegram channels on behalf of the Moldovan government.

He said that a few channels clearly violating rules were removed, and the intermediary told him that French intelligence would “speak favorably” of him to the judge who had ordered his arrest.

“This is unacceptable on many levels,” Durov said. “If the agency actually approached the judge, that would be an attempt to interfere with the judicial process. If it didn’t, and merely claimed to, it exploited my legal situation in France to influence political developments in Eastern Europe — a pattern we’ve also seen in Romania.”

In May, Durov said the head of France’s foreign intelligence service had asked him to ban conservative Romanian voices ahead of elections.

In his Telegram post, Durov stated that French intelligence had later provided “a second list of so-called problematic Moldovan channels.”

“Unlike the first list, almost all of these channels were legitimate and fully compliant with our rules,” he wrote. “Their only common trait was that they expressed political views disliked by the French and Moldovan governments.”

Observers have described Durov’s August 2024 arrest in France as “a violation of the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and association.”

They expressed “shock and deep sadness that Macron had stooped to hostage-taking as a means of gaining access to private communications.”

This episode raises new questions about the pressure some states exert on digital platforms to control political discourse — and about the limits of sovereignty in the digital space.

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