Mahdieh Esfandiari Sentenced by French Court
A French court has sentenced Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian national, to four years in prison, with three years suspended, meaning she will serve one year behind bars. The court also ordered her permanent ban from France. She was convicted over social media posts in which she described the 7 October attack on Israel as an “act of resistance” by Hamas.
Her lawyer criticised the ruling as excessive and confirmed that Esfandiari would appeal. Iranian officials have condemned her treatment, saying she has been unfairly detained since her arrest in France in February 2025.
Mahdieh Esfandiari and France–Iran Prisoner Talks
Mahdieh Esfandiari has been widely seen as a possible bargaining chip in negotiations between France and Iran. For the release of two French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris. Who have been imprisoned in Iran since May 2022 on espionage charges.
In October, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghachi claimed a prisoner exchange had been agreed, though France has never confirmed this. While President Emmanuel Macron said in November that the pair had been released from detention and taken to the French embassy in Tehran, they have not yet returned to France, leaving their fate — and Esfandiari’s — uncertain. Read More
