France Holding Iranian Academic Over Gaza Views

Date: 14 April 2025 - 22:30

News ID: ۱۳۸۵۰۲

TEHRAN -- A female Iranian academic has been arrested in France over her views about the Israeli genocidal campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip and solidarity with Palestinians.

Mahdieh Esfandiari, a 35-year-old French language graduate, was reportedly detained after publishing messages on a Telegram channel condemning the ongoing genocide in the blockaded territory.

The French weekly Le Point which identified Esfandiari said she has lived in Lyon for eight years.

Her family, worried after losing contact, raised the alarm last month with Iranian authorities, who then contacted

their French counterparts, Le Point reported, adding they have yet to hear back.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that France is unwilling to give an explanation on her situation.
“We hope that the French government will provide access to this case as soon as possible and clarify the reasons for the arrest of this Iranian citizen,” Baghaei said.
“Consular access has not been authorized” by French authorities, he told a news conference, adding that Iran was following the matter closely.
Her arrest came amid a crackdown in the U.S. and other Western countries targeting scholars, students, and activists who oppose genocide and advocate for peace, both on campuses and in public spaces.
Her Iranian identity has further compounded this repression, as the Western countries escalate warmongering policies and economic sanctions against Iran while silencing dissent.
Pundits say these attacks aim to terrorize and silence the countless advocates who have courageously amplified Palestinian resistance and the call for freedom.
They say repression of freedom of speech will legitimize the Zionist child-killing forces and would undermine the principles of due process.