Iran Sentences French Academic to 5 Years in Prison

Iran

May 16th, 7:33am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Franco-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah. AFP file photo

Iran sentenced a French-Iranian academic to five years in prison on national security charges on Saturday, her lawyer told Agence France Presse. Fariba Adelkhah was "sentenced to five years for gathering and conspiring against national security, and one year for propaganda against the Islamic republic," Said Dehghan said. He said his client would only be expected to serve the longer, five-year jail term and added that she intended to appeal. Adelkhah is a research director at Sciences Po university in Paris and is an expert on Iran. She was arrested in June 2019 along with fellow French academic Roland Marchal. Iranian authorities released Marchal in March, after a prisoner swap between Paris and Tehran. The country has arrested dozens of dual nationals in recent years on alleged espionage charges. Iranian authorities have not provided any solid evidence to back up their claims.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2286906/iran-sentences-french-academic-5-years-prison