Frenchman held in Iran begins hunger strike to protest prison conditions

A Frenchman held in Iran for more than 18 months on espionage charges has begun a hunger strike to protest at his detention conditions, his family has said. The French foreign ministry has described the spying charges against Benjamin Brière as incomprehensible.

An undated picture of French national Benjamin Brière, who was arrested in Iran in 2020. - Saeid Dehghan's Twitter account/AFP

Brière, 36, was arrested in Iran last May, allegedly while flying a drone and taking photographs in a prohibited area.

"Benjamin started the hunger strike on December 25 because he was not allowed to call us for Christmas, but also to draw attention to the mistreatment he has suffered for 20 months," his sister Blandine Brière told the French AFP news agency.

"He sees no progress in his case."

His family describes him as an innocent tourist who set out in 2018 on a road trip in his camper van that began in Scandinavia before heading overland towards Iran.

His Iranian lawyer said in May that prosecutors had confirmed Brière would be tried for espionage as well as propaganda against the system.

 A conviction for espionage is punishable by death in Iran.

Innocent pawns in a dangerous game

"The Iranian judiciary have not yet decided which court will try the case," said Blandine Brière.

"He is being held hostage for no reason," she added. "It is completely illegal and we don't know anything. Benjamin needs more from the French foreign ministry."

In Paris, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday: "The government is following our compatriot's situation with the greatest attention."

The French embassy in Tehran had been in regular contact with Brière, who the spokesman said was in Iran as a tourist when he was arrested.

The latest such visit took place on 21 December. And the embassy contacted him again on Monday, the ministry spokesman said.

Brière is one of more than a dozen western nationals held in Iran. Human rights activists describe the prisoners as hostages innocent of any crime, and detained at the behest of the powerful Revolutionary Guards to extract concessions from the west.

Brière is the only western detainee known to be held in Iran who does not also possess an Iranian passport.