A French tourist held by Iranian authorities for more than two years released and returned to France, President Emmanuel Macron said.
Olivier Grondau, 34, free of charge “and with his family, Macron wrote X on Thursday,” We share the happiest and comfort of his family. “
Mr Grondau was arrested in southern Iran of October 2022 and was condemned by five years in prison for “consulting against the Islamic Republic”. His family often denies charges.
The Iranian regime arrested many tourists and double nationalities in recent years, most of the charges of spying and national security.
The French Foreign Minister Minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted a picture of Mr. Grondau’s a plane returning home last Thursday.
“Hostage held in Iran in 887 days, he was reunited with his family, loved ones, and his country. It was a great comfort,” he wrote.
Speak publicly for the first time since January arrest, Mr. Grondau said he was “held hostage” by authorities.
His family described him a passionate fan of Persian poetry traveling to Iran to a tourist visa as part of a world tour.
Two other French citizens are currently held in Iran.
Cecile Kohler, is a teacher, and his companion, Jacques Paris, is detained on May 2022 and was charged with the pursuit of stirring protests, denied by their families.
There is a growing concern for their health and France that regularly returns their release.
“Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris have to be free from Iran prisons,” Macron said on his post Thursday.
Human right groups say tourists and double nationalities are often held for the recovery of diplomatic negotiations, released only if Iran is in return.
The British Foreign Office confirmed the month a British couple – Craig and Lindsay foreman – trapped.
They are accused of spy, with Iranian state media reporting that they made in the southeastern city of Kerman.
In January, italian journalist Cecilia Sin, 29, returned to Rome after spending weeks in Iran prison. The reports say he was jailed by Tehran Evin Prison.