US EditionIranian Woman Accused of Promoting Terrorism Freed in France
Mahdieh Esfandiari was released under judicial supervision amid prisoner swap talks between France and Iran involving detained French nationals, with her trial set for January 13, 2026.
- The Iranian foreign ministry announced Wednesday that Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian citizen, was conditionally released despite Paris prosecutors' office urging detention over a `risk of flight`.
- The case centers on charges stemming from Telegram accounts called "Axis of Resistance," with Esfandiari arrested in Villeurbanne on February 28, Iran claims the detention was arbitrary.
- Under judicial supervision, Mahdieh Esfandiari must report regularly to a police station, face a ban on social media access, and cannot leave France pending her January 13 trial.
- France and Iran have discussed an exchange involving Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying last month the deal was in `its final stages`.
- On October 21, 2025 demonstrators in Tehran demanded Mahdieh Esfandiari's release while Noemie Kohler warned `The French state is responsible, every day that goes by, for the survival of Cecile and Jacques,` arrested in May 2022.
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Iranian woman accused of promoting terrorism freed in France
Iranian citizen Mahdieh Esfandiari, detained in France since February on charges of promoting terrorism online, was conditionally released Wednesday under judicial supervision, as Tehran pushes for her return in a potential exchange for two French nationals held in Iran.
The decision of the French court is welcomed by Tehran. Iran welcomes the release of Mahdieh Esfandiari on parole in a statement issued on Wednesday 22 October. The Iranian national, accused of apology of terrorism, is free pending her trial. An important decision because Iran makes a direct link between this case and that of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French prisoners in Iran since 2022 and recently sentenced to heavy sentences.
Prosecution for "on-line apology and provocation to terrorism", the Iranian was released under judicial supervision. His fate could be linked to that of French detainees in Iran.
The Iranian authorities announced on Wednesday "the conditional release" of one of their nationals. Mahdieh Esfandiari was arrested in France in February for apology of terrorism. The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed this release under judicial supervision. - Arrested in France in February, Iranian Mahdieh Esfandiari was released under judicial supervision (Police, justice and other facts).
leprogres.fr
Mahdieh Esfandiari was arrested in France in February for apology of terrorism. She is part of an exchange discussed between France and Iran to obtain the release of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris.
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