France After 887 days in prison: Iran releases Frenchman
After more than two years, a Frenchman detained in Iran has been released. "Olivier Grondeau is free, in France, among his own", announced French head of state Emmanuel Macron on X. He shared the family's immense happiness and relief.
20.03.2025, 10:45
SDA
According to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, the man had been imprisoned in Iran for 887 days. The 34-year-old from Montpellier in the south of France had been sentenced to five years in prison in Iran for espionage, wrote the newspaper "Le Parisien".
According to the broadcaster "France Info", the man was traveling the world when he was arrested in the southwest of Iran in autumn 2022. French authorities spoke of hostage-taking.
A French teacher couple was also arrested in Iran in 2022. The two are still in custody. Macron called for them to be "freed from Iranian dungeons".
France had recently stepped up its tone towards Tehran in order to exert pressure over the detained French nationals. Iran's ambassador to Paris was summoned in January.
