Frenchman gets 8 years in prison in Iran; denies spy charges

By JOHN LEICESTER and SYLVIE CORBET
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — A Frenchman detained in Iran and hunger striking to protest his treatment has been sentenced to eight years in prison on what his lawyer insists are trumped up espionage and propaganda charges. The 36-year-old Benjamin Brière was arrested in May 2020 after taking pictures in a desert area where photography is prohibited and asking questions on social media about Iran’s obligatory Islamic headscarf for women. Paris-based lawyer Philippe Valent said Tuesday that an Iranian revolutionary court has sentenced Brière to eight years in prison for espionage and eight months of imprisonment for anti-government propaganda. The longer sentence is applied under Iranian law. His lawyer said the charges are entirely without foundation.