French tourist Benjamin Briere, who was arrested in Iran 10 months ago, faces charges of “spying and propaganda against the system”, one of his lawyers told Reuters on Monday.
By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI (Reuters) - French tourist Benjamin Briere, who was arrested in Iran 10 months ago, faces charges of spying and propaganda against the system , one of his lawyers told Reuters on Monday, at a time of heightened tension between Tehran and the West. The revelation comes as the United States and European parties to Iran s 2015 nuclear deal, including France, are trying to restore the pact that was abandoned in 2018 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. President Joe Biden has offered to join European countries in talks to revive the accord, but Tehran says Washington should first lift sanctions imposed in 2018 by Trump. On Sunday, he (Briere) was charged with two counts of espionage and propaganda against the Islamic Republic, his lawyer Saeid Dehghan said, adding that Briere faces a long-term jail sentence. Dehghan said the 35-year-old had been arrested after flying a helicam in the desert near the Turkmenistan-Iran border. His last defence was taken yesterday.
Iran charges detained French tourist with spying; UK national faces second trial
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15/03/2021 - 16:07 In this Jan. 16, 2017 file photo, Richard Ratcliffe, husband of imprisoned charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, stands outside the Iranian Embassy in London. AP - Alastair Grant 5 min Iran has charged a French tourist with spying and “spreading propaganda against the system,” his lawyer said Monday. This is the latest in a series of cases against foreigners at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the West. In a separate case, a British-Iranian national who was recently released from a five-year jail sentence, is now facing a new trial.