Iranian academic Esfandiari included in prisoner exchange plan: Deputy foreign minister
Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian academic illegally imprisoned in France over pro-Palestine social media posts, has been put in a prisoner exchange plan.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Vahid Jalalzadeh, said Tehran has come up with a political and consular package that both countries must implement to expedite the release of Esfandiari, who was arbitrarily detained in the European country for speaking up against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
He expressed hope that the 39-year-old academic would return to Iran soon.
The deputy foreign minister noted that Esfandiari has been actually taken hostage by the French government, despite Paris' claims to be an advocate of the freedom of speech.
He explained that Iran has taken all legal and consular measures since Esfandiari’s arrest, in order to secure her freedom.
Esfandiari has been in jail since March for denouncing Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the massacre of Palestinian women and children.
Her case has sparked international outcry, with supporters slamming Esfandiar’s politically-motivated detention as a grave violation of the freedom of speech.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has lodged repeated protests with French authorities, summoning Paris’s envoy in Tehran and demanding legal justification. Still, France has provided “no solid legal evidence” for Esfandiari's detention.
French prosecutors accuse Esfandiari of “glorifying terrorism” related to her social media activity, which Iran and human rights advocates dismiss as a political cover for targeting voices critical of the Israeli regime.
Esfandiari was arrested on March 3, 2025, during a surprise raid at her home, and her family describes the incident as kidnapping.
She was held for over 50 days without access to phones, kept in solitary confinement, and not allowed contact with family or friends until mid-April.
Reports from her family detail psychological torment during her detention, including being stripped of her hijab and facing harsh treatment by male officers.
Despite being incarcerated for over 230 days without a proper warrant, the charges against her lack clarity and evidence.
Esfandiari’s only "crime" appears to be advocating for the rights of Palestinians, a situation that has drawn attention to potential abuses of legal processes in France, where any detention beyond 48 hours without a judicial warrant is deemed illegal.
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