Current:Home > ScamsFrench-Iranian academic imprisoned for years in Iran returns to France-InfoLens
French-Iranian academic imprisoned for years in Iran returns to France
View Date:2024-12-23 16:26:09
PARIS (AP) — French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, who was detained for years in Iran, has returned to France, the political sciences institute Sciences Po announced Wednesday.
Adelkhah, an anthropologist who was arrested in 2019 on security charges, arrived in France on Tuesday, Science Po said.
She was freed from prison in February but had not been allowed to leave Iran. She had earlier been released from prison in October 2020 to serve part of her five-year sentence under house arrest but was re-imprisoned in January 2022, the institute said.
She was accused of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic’s political system” and “collusion to undermine national security.”
“After she has been deprived of her freedom for so long, what a thrill it is to welcome back our colleague Fariba, a symbol of our battle for academic freedom,” Sciences Po director Mathias Vicherat said in a statement. “I look forward to seeing Fariba back at Sciences Po, her home, soon.”
French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday during which he called for the release of Adelkhah and three other French nationals who are still being detained in the country, according to the French presidency.
Adelkhah and French academic Roland Marchal, both researchers at Sciences Po, were arrested in Iran on June 5, 2019. Marchal was freed in 2020 in an apparent prisoner swap. His release came hours after French authorities freed Jalal Ruhollahnejad, an Iranian engineer who faced U.S. charges of attempting to illegally export U.S. technology to Iran.
Earlier this year, Benjamin Briere, a French citizen, and Bernard Phelan, who has dual French-Irish nationality, were freed from an Iranian prison. They had been held in Mashhad in northeast Iran.
Occasional releases of Europeans from Iranian prisons are widely viewed as part of a delicate bid for favors.
veryGood! (5791)
Related
- In an AP interview, the next Los Angeles DA says he’ll go after low-level nonviolent crimes
- Nearly a third of Oregon superintendents are new to the job, administrators coalition says
- 'Top of the charts': Why Giants rookie catcher Patrick Bailey is drawing Pudge comparisons
- Good as NFL's star running backs are, they haven't been worth the money lately
- Elena Rose has made hits for JLo, Becky G and more. Now she's stepping into the spotlight.
- Miami-Dade police director awake after gunshot to head; offered resignation before shooting
- As sneakers take over the workplace, the fashion phenomenon is making its way to Congress
- Pink Summer Carnival setlist is a festival of hits. Here are the songs fans can expect.
- Target will be closed on Thanksgiving: Here’s when stores open on Black Friday
- 'I just prayed': Oxford school shooting victim testifies about classmates being shot
Ranking
- Olivia Munn Randomly Drug Tests John Mulaney After Mini-Intervention
- Ohio K-9 officer fired after his police dog attacked surrendering suspect
- How many transgender and intersex people live in the US? Anti-LGBTQ+ laws will impact millions
- New app allows you to access books banned in your area: What to know about Banned Book Club
- California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
- Log in to these back-to-school laptop deals on Apple, Lenovo and HP
- Stefon Diggs explains minicamp tiff with the Bills, says it's 'water under the bridge'
- The US is requiring more planes to have accessible restrooms, but change will take years
Recommendation
-
How Leonardo DiCaprio Celebrated His 50th Birthday
-
JP Morgan execs face new allegations from U.S. Virgin Islands in $190 million Jeffrey Epstein lawsuit
-
Dolphins' Tyreek Hill: 'I just can’t make bonehead mistakes' like Miami marina incident
-
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian defense minister on military cooperation
-
Olivia Munn began randomly drug testing John Mulaney during her first pregnancy
-
Amy Schumer Claps Back at “Unflattering” Outfit Comment on Her Barbie Post
-
Tina Turner's Daughter-in-Law Hopes to Conceive Baby With Late Husband Ronnie's Sperm
-
New Mexico lifts debt-based suspensions of driver’s licenses for 100,000 residents