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Prisoners

Frenchman Held In “Gloomy” Iranian Prison Starts Hunger Strike

February 6, 2023
1 min read
Benjamin Briere was sentenced to eight years in prison on espionage charges following a trial that his lawyers called a “parody” staged by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Benjamin Briere was sentenced to eight years in prison on espionage charges following a trial that his lawyers called a “parody” staged by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

French national Benjamin Brière has gone on hunger strike for the second time since his incarceration in Iran in 2020, his sister and his lawyer say.

Brière, who was sentenced to eight years in prison on espionage charges, stopped eating on January 28, his sister Blandine Brière said on February 6, adding, "It's the only weapon he has."

His France-based lawyer, Philippe Valent, called the accusations against his client "fiction" and his trial a “parody” staged by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Brière, who already went on hunger strike in 2021, is among seven French citizens and more than two dozen foreign nationals believed to be behind bars in Iran.

Western governments have repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of taking dual and foreign nationals hostage for the sole purpose of using them in prisoner swaps.

Brière was arrested in May 2020 and is being held in Vakilabad prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Valent said Brière is "mentally and physically exhausted" in the "gloomy" prison, adding that the conditions of his incarceration were "exceptionally harsh."

Many European countries have urged their nationals to leave Iran, warning that they face the risk of arbitrary arrest or unfair trial.

The Islamic Republic has claimed that the anti-government demonstrations that have swept the country for more than four months are instigated by its foreign foes. Officials did not provide any evidence backing the allegation.

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