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Jailed French tourist in Iran faces spying charge

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French tourist Benjamin Briere, who was arrested in Iran 10 months ago, faces charges of “spying and propaganda against the system”, one of his lawyers told Reuters on Monday, at a time of heightened tension between Tehran and the West.

The revelation comes as the United States and European parties to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, including France, are trying to restore the pact that was abandoned in 2018 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.

U.S. President Joe Biden has offered to join European countries in talks to revive the accord, but Tehran says Washington should first lift sanctions imposed in 2018 by Trump.

“On Sunday, he (Briere) was charged with two counts of espionage and propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” his lawyer Saeid Dehghan said, adding that Briere faces a long-term jail sentence.

Dehghan told Reuters the 35-year-old had been arrested after flying a helicam in the desert near the Turkmenistan-Iran border.

“His last defense was taken yesterday. His spying charges is because of taking pictures in forbidden areas,” Dehghan said.

“He is in the Vakilabad prison in the city of Mashhad. His health is good and he has access to his lawyers and also he benefits from consular protection and the French embassy officials have been in regular contact with him.”

Iran’s judiciary was not available to comment. France has yet to comment on Briere’s charges. Last month, France’s foreign ministry confirmed that a French citizen was being held in Iran and said it was monitoring the situation.

“Although the French government is pursuing Briere’s case, I am concerned that any delay in comprehensive follow-up will further complicate the case,” Dehghan said.

The lawyer said Briere has been charged with “propaganda against the system” because of a post on social media, in which he said “the hijab is mandatory” in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but not in other Islamic countries.

“My colleagues and I believe that these charges are false and baseless, but we have to wait for the judge to conduct a full investigation in the next few days and announce his verdict,” Dehghan said.

A person close to his family told Reuters last month that Briere, who works in the events industry, had traveled to Iran by van from France.

Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners in recent years, mostly on espionage charges.

Rights activists have accused Iran of arresting dual nationals and foreigners to try to win concessions from other countries. Tehran denies it holds people for political reasons and has accused many of the foreigners in its jails of espionage.

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IEA to establish ministry for usurped land reclamation

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The Ministry of Justice said on Sunday that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate has issued a decree to establish a new ministry under the name of usurped land reclamation.

Currently, the work of reclamation of usurped land is being carried out by a commission.

The commission said in a press conference that 49.7 million acres of usurped land have been identified across the country, of which 3.9 million acres have been reclaimed.

Officials of the commission stated that 36 residential townships in Kabul have been assessed and decisions have been issued on 13 of them.

According to officials, people who have purchased land in illegal townships have all their rights reserved with the commission and only township owners are considered as usurpers.

They also stated that 370,000 acres of land have been allocated for the Kabul New City project and that currently, four companies are involved in this project.

 

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Sirajuddin Haqqani meets with special envoys of China and Pakistan in Kabul

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Acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani met with China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, and Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy, to discuss regional cooperation and diplomatic engagement.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Interior on Sunday, the meeting aimed to follow up on the outcomes of the fifth trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan. The discussions also focused on preparations for the upcoming sixth round of talks and on deepening political and economic cooperation among the three nations.

During the meeting, Haqqani emphasized the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to fostering strong regional ties. He called for regional understanding and cooperation, especially in political and economic fields, based on mutual respect.

The Chinese and Pakistani diplomats reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to strengthening relations with Afghanistan. They also agreed that the sixth meeting of foreign ministers from the three nations will be held in Kabul.

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Afghan government employees urged to apply diplomacy when commenting about another country

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Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday instructed government employees to refrain from making comments or statements that could hurt a country.

Addressing a graduation ceremony of government employees who passed a specialized diplomacy training course, Muttaqi warned that such negative comments would also harm the Islamic Emirate.

“Try to be careful with your pen. Be careful with your tongue so that no Muslim, no neighbor, no country is hurt. Avoid harming the system and yourself. Sometimes, there are shots that then come back to the hitter. You have to be very careful in this matter. Whatever you say, you have to think about whether it is permissible in Islam? Will it not end up harming another Muslim?”

Muttaqi also emphasized that Afghanistan will not progress if fundamental steps are not taken in the academic field.

“If we do not take steps in the academic field, do not educate ourselves, do not work hard, do not know about the world conditions, do not know about the customs of the homeland, do not know about our past history, we cannot build our future. We need a lot of work in our home and each department needs a professional. If you gather all the members of your family, you cannot treat a child with fever until you see a doctor. You cannot build a bulb. You cannot make clothes. Therefore, every field has its own professional and this society needs them,” he said.

Muttaqi also called on the graduates to strive to enhance their knowledge and to guide the future path of Afghanistan towards development.

 

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