Iranian Court Sentenced French Man To 8 Years In Prison Accused Of Spying

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Sonia Sevilla)

JAKARTA - An Iranian court on Tuesday sentenced French national Benjamin Briere to eight years in prison on spying charges, his Paris-based lawyer said, describing the trial as a politically motivated hoax and his client a "piece of bargain".

Briere, 36, has been detained in Iran since May 2020, when he was arrested after flying a helicam, a remote-controlled mini helicopter used to obtain aerial or movement images, in the desert near the Turkmen-Iran border.

The decision came at a sensitive time, as the United States and European parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal tried to restore the pact abandoned in 2018 by former US President Donald Trump.

"It is unacceptable that Benjamin Briere remains a negotiating hostage on the part of a regime that insists on restraining its will, to arbitrarily detain a French citizen and use him as a bargaining chip," lawyer Philippe Valent said in a statement.

France is seen as tougher on nuclear negotiations with Iran than some of the other parties to the deal.

Briere, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, was given an additional eight months' sentence for "propaganda against the Islamic Republic", Valent said.

Briere will appeal the ruling, said Saeid Dehghan, one of his Iranian lawyers. He said his client was shocked by the sentence, which was harsher than expected and included additional charges of cooperating against Iran with enemy states.

"His sentence is based on a different legal clause than the previous one. He has been convicted of cooperating with enemy countries against Iran which carries a longer sentence than the previous one," Dehghan said.

Briere herself has been on a hunger strike since Christmas.

"Benjamin Briere has clearly not or never benefited from any form of fair trial before an impartial judge. This decision is the result of a purely political process," Valent said.

The Iranian court was not immediately available for comment. Meanwhile, France's foreign ministry said the ruling was "unacceptable", adding it was in regular contact with Briere.

To note, France has warned Tehran in the past that its handling of the case of French nationals detained in Iran could damage relations.

In recent years, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.

Human rights groups accuse Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. Western powers have long demanded that Tehran release its citizens, who they say are political prisoners.

Earlier this month, Iran re-imprisoned Franco-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, sentenced to five years in prison in 2020 but recently living under house arrest. France has demanded Adelkhah's immediate release.