E-Paper
Two French citizens held in Iran freed from prison
Nearly a half-dozen other French citizens are thought to be held in Iranian prisons.
Two French citizens imprisoned in Iran have been freed, France's foreign minister said Friday.
Benjamin Briere and Bernard Phelan, who both had been held in a prison in Mashad, in northwest Iran, were heading to Paris, a statement from Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said.
Also Read| Iran hangs two in rare blasphemy case as executions surge
Colonna “thanked all those who worked for their freedom” and spoke earlier Friday with Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the statement said without elaborating.
Briere, 38, was arrested in May 2020 for taking photographs with a drone in an area where cameras were forbidden. He was convicted of spying, then reportedly acquitted this year.
Phelan, 64, was arrested seven months ago while visiting Iran for consulting activities for a tour company, according to French daily newspaper Le Parisien.
Nearly a half-dozen other French citizens are thought to be held in Iranian prisons.
