Frenchman Benjamin Brière and Franco-Irishman Bernard Phelan, who were detained in Mashhad prison in northeastern Iran, have been released, we learned from the French Foreign Ministry on Friday. The first, aged 37, was arrested in May 2020 on charges of espionage. The second, 64, a tourism consultant, was arrested on October 3, 2022, for undermining national security. The two men, who have always maintained their innocence, were released on humanitarian grounds after their state of health had deteriorated considerably in recent months.
Emmanuel Macron welcomed these releases and affirms that France will continue “to act for the return of our compatriots still detained in Iran”. “Free, finally. Benjamin Brière and Bernard Phelan will find their loved ones. It is a relief. I welcome their release. Thank you to everyone who worked on this outcome,” he wrote in a tweet.