French tourist imprisoned in Iran for appearing in court accused of espionage

A detained French tourist in Iran, Benjamin Briere, will face a revolutionary court on Thursday for espionage charges, his lawyer said on Wednesday, more than a year after he was arrested while driving a remote-controlled mini-helicopter in a desert area.

“Benjamin will appear in court to stand trial for espionage and action against national security charges,” one of his lawyers, Saeid Dehghan, told Reuters.

Briere has been imprisoned since May 2020, when he was arrested after flying a helicopter – a remote-controlled mini-helicopter used to take aerial or moving pictures – in the desert near the border between Turkmenistan and Iran. He was accused of espionage and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic”.

His trial comes as the United States and parties to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, including France, seek to restore the pact, which was abandoned in 2018 by then-US President Donald Trump.

Iran’s revolutionary elite guard has arrested dozens of dual citizens and foreigners in recent years, mostly accused of espionage.

Rights activists have accused Iran of arresting dual citizens and foreigners for trying to win concessions from other countries. Tehran denies detaining people for political reasons.

(REUTERS)