Lawyer: French National to Be Tried for Espionage

Date: 30 May 2021 - 23:55

News ID: ۹۰۸۰۵

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iranian prosecutors have confirmed a French national held in the Islamic Republic will be tried for espionage, his lawyer told AFP Sunday.
Benjamin Briere, born in 1985, was arrested in Iran in May 2020 while flying a drone and taking photographs in a prohibited area.
Briere has also been charged with “propaganda against the system”, which can incur a prison sentence of three months to one year.
Lawyer Said Dehqan, who also represents another French national held in the country, told AFP the investigation had been completed and the prosecution had confirmed the charges.
“The prosecutor is preparing the indictment and sending it to the revolutionary court for the continuation of the judicial process,” Dehqan said.
In March, a French foreign ministry spokesman said Briere was benefitting from consular support and that Paris’ embassy in Tehran was in “regular contact” with him.