Iranian Academic Mahdieh Esfandiari Granted Conditional Release in France Following Detention for Anti-Israel Posts

Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian linguist and French language graduate born in Iran, has been conditionally released in France after months of detention.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that a French judge has granted conditional release to Esfandiari, who was arrested in February for anti-Israel posts and protests.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that Tehran would persist in pursuing the 39-year-old Iranian academic's case until she achieves complete freedom, according to PressTV reporting.

Media outlets including France24 have reported that France and Iran have considered exchanging Esfandiari for a French couple, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been detained by Iran since May 2022.

Under the terms of her conditional release, Esfandiari must report regularly to police, cannot leave France, and is prohibited from accessing social media while awaiting her trial scheduled for January 13.

Esfandiari has resided in France since 2018 and is a graduate of the University of Lyon. Following her graduation from Lumiere University, she worked professionally as a professor, translator, and interpreter. She is recognized as a prominent pro-Palestinian activist with significant online presence.

Her activism background includes participation in women's rights and human rights campaigns, with particular focus on West Asian issues through social media engagement. She has also attended pro-Palestinian demonstrations in France.

French authorities arrested Esfandiari in Lyon on February 28, 2025. Since March 2, she has been held at Fresnes Prison in Val-de-Marne, south of Paris, a facility notorious for harsh conditions and housing dangerous criminals.

The charges against her include "apologie du terrorisme" (public defense of terrorism) related to social media posts that French authorities claim supported Hamas's Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel in October 2023.

Additional accusations encompass online provocation of terrorism, religion-based insults, and refusal to provide access codes to her social media accounts.

The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation on November 7, 2024, following her placement in provisional detention. Esfandiari's family lost contact with her in late February, prompting Iranian diplomatic inquiries about her whereabouts.

French authorities confirmed her detention on April 12, 2025, citing her online activities as the cause. However, the specific content of her Telegram posts remains undisclosed, complicating assessment of the charges' legitimacy.

When addressing local media about her disappearance in March, Baghaei commented, "Unfortunately, we have learned that one of our citizens residing in France has gone missing in recent days, and so far, we have not received any specific information from the relevant French authorities regarding her status."