It’s the end of a long wait full of anguish and uncertainty. After spending nearly three years and more than seven months respectively behind bars in an Iranian jail, French hostages Benjamin Brière and Franco-Irish hostage Bernard Phelan have been released from prison and are on their way to France, it was announced on Friday. the Quai d’Orsay in a press release. They received medical care as soon as they were released from prison.
Benjamin Brière, 38, was arrested in May 2020 for taking “photographs of prohibited areas” with a recreational drone in an Iranian natural park, before being sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage. He was being held in harsh conditions in Valikabad prison in Mashhad (north-east) and started a hunger strike on 28 January. Acquitted on appeal by the Iranian courts on February 15, he was nevertheless banned from leaving the prison, to everyone’s surprise.
In an interview in early March to Releasehis little sister, Blandine, warned of the deterioration of the physical and mental state of his brother, detained “in an unsanitary and overcrowded dormitory” And “victim of real psychological torture”. Originally from Lyon, Benjamin Brière has always claimed his innocence. His relatives, who had recently sent a letter to Emmanuel Macron, described him as a “tourist with a thirst for discovery and adventure”. Before arriving in Iran, the traveler had traveled through many countries (Turkey, Kosovo, Macedonia, etc.) in his converted van.
Four more “state hostages” in Iran
The Franco-Irish Bernard Phelan had also been detained in Valikabad prison for more than seven months. The 64-year-old man was arrested on October 3, a few days after the start of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, while on a study trip as part of his activities as a consultant for a tour operator. He had been found guilty of “providing information to an enemy country” – charges he has always denied. At the beginning of March, his sister had sounded the alarm by saying that the vital prognosis of his brother, who suffers from heart and sight problems, was engaged. Originally from the south of Ireland, Bernard Phelan resided in France before his arrest.
On Twitter, Emmanuel Macron greeted friday the release of the two French hostages. “Free, finally. Benjamin Brière and Bernard Phélan will find their loved ones. It is a relief. I welcome their release. Thank you to everyone who worked on this outcome. We will continue to act for the return of our compatriots still detained in Iran”, wrote the French president.
Officially, at least four “State hostages”, the expression used by the French authorities, are still held by the Islamic Republic. May 7 marked the first anniversary of the arrest of Cécile Kohler, a 38-year-old teacher and trade unionist, and her husband, Jacques Paris. A 35-year-old consultant, Louis Arnaud, has also been behind bars since his arrest on September 28, shortly after the start of the popular uprising. Another Frenchman, whose identity has never been made public, also remains imprisoned. Detentions that Paris qualifies as“arbitrary”, aimed at extracting concessions from the West.
Update at 1:30 p.m. with reaction from Emmanuel Macron