Emmanuel Macron has announced the release of French researcher Roland Marchal from Iran, where he had been detained since June 2019. The French president said he was “happy to announce the release” but urged Iranian authorities to also free fellow researcher Fariba Adelkhah, who remains in detention.
The release of Marchal, a specialist on east Africa, appears to have been part of a prisoner exchange. Iran’s judiciary news agency Mizan Online reported that Iranian engineer Jalal Rohollahnejad had been freed by France on Friday. Rohollahnejad had been incarcerated in France for more than a year on charges of circumventing US sanctions against Iran.
Adelkhah, a 60-year-old anthropologist and dual French-Iranian national, faces charges of “propaganda against the system” and “colluding to commit acts against national security”. Her trial began in early March. Tehran does not recognise dual nationality, complicating her case.
Concerns have been raised about the health of both detainees. Adelkhah went on hunger strike for 49 days, and Marchal’s health was said to be deteriorating. Their support group and the French foreign ministry had sounded the alarm.
Iran has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, which has added to worries for prisoners’ welfare. The country has recently carried out several prisoner exchanges, including the release of US Navy veteran Michael White and the temporary release of British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
