The lawyer of French citizen Benjamin Brier, detained in Iran since May 2020, announced that his client will be tried on charges of "espionage" and "propaganda against the political system" of the Islamic Republic. According to Iranian laws, a conviction for espionage can lead to a death sentence, while those convicted of propaganda against the system face imprisonment ranging from three months to one year. Lawyer Seyed Dehghan told AFP that following the investigation, the public prosecutor confirmed the charges, explaining that "the prosecutor is preparing the indictment and will send it to the Revolutionary Court to continue the judicial procedures." Brier is held at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, northeastern Iran.
The announcement of Brier's trial came days after his sister, Blandine Brier, published an open letter in "Le Point" magazine urging French President Emmanuel Macron to work for her brother's release, whom she described as being imprisoned "without justification" and whom she claims has become "a bargaining chip." Dehghan reported that Brier faced two additional charges that were not proven during the investigation: "corruption on earth," one of the gravest charges in the Islamic Republic which is punishable by death, and alcohol consumption, which is punishable by flogging.
Dehghan had earlier clarified that Brier, born in June 1985, was accused of espionage for allegedly taking "photos of restricted areas," while the propaganda charge stemmed from him asking via social media why the hijab is "mandatory" in the Islamic Republic while it is "optional" in other Muslim countries. His sister condemned the "false" accusations against him, affirming to French media that he was a tourist and that Iran was the final stop of a camping trip he began in France in 2018, during which he visited Scandinavian countries.
