The Japan Times - Iranian in possible prisoner exchange faces 'terrorism' verdict in France

Mahdieh Esfandiari, 39, was arrested in France last year over comments she is accused of having made on social media, including on Palestinian militant group Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Prosecutors in the case have called for a four-year prison sentence, of which three would be suspended.

If convicted, some observers see her as a potential bargaining chip in negotiations with Tehran for the release of French nationals Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who are still waiting to leave Iran.

"They are well. They are safe," foreign ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told AFP on Wednesday.

The outcome of the trial is eagerly awaited by the relatives of Kohler and Paris as tensions rage over Iran's nuclear programme, with the United States threatening military action.

Arrested in Iran in May 2022, Kohler and Paris were freed in November after more than three years in prison on espionage charges their families vehemently denied.

They were taken by French diplomats to France's mission in Tehran, where they live now.

- 'Everything is ready' -

Esfandiari was released after some eight months in pre-trial detention in October, and her trial began in January.

In mid-January, the prosecutor requested a four-year jail term, including three years suspended, for Esfandiari, but said it would not be necessary for her to be re-incarcerated.

"We expect the court to acquit Ms Esfandiari," her lawyer Nabil Boudi told AFP on Wednesday.

As for a possible exchange, he added, "everything will depend on the upcoming decision".

The Iranian authorities have expressed their wish to exchange their national for the two French citizens once the legal proceedings in France have finished.

The French government has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a potential exchange deal.

France has described Kohler and Paris as "state hostages" taken by Tehran in a bid to extract concessions. They were convicted on espionage charges which their families have always condemned as fabricated.

Esfandiari has condoned Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

"There were children killed, women killed, hostages taken on the Palestinian side, and October 7 was a logical response," she has said.

"It's not an act of terrorism, it's an act of resistance."

Tehran argues she has been unjustly detained.

In November, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a potential exchange between Tehran and Paris "had been negotiated."

"An agreement has been reached and indeed, we are waiting for the entire legal and judicial procedure to be completed in both countries."

"Everything is ready. We are waiting for the judicial process to be completed in France."

Y.Ishikawa--JT