WANA (Oct 22) – The spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced tonight the conditional release of Ms. Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian citizen detained in France, and said that the Ministry will continue its efforts until her full freedom and return to the country.

 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei welcomed the decision of the French judge to issue a supervised release order for Esfandiari.

 

He stated that, under this decision, she will be transferred from prison to a residence and will remain under supervision until her court session, which is expected to be held in late November or December. Baghaei expressed optimism that the court would issue a final ruling leading to her complete release.

 

Mahdieh Esfandiari has been in detention since March 1, 2024, on charges of supporting the people of Palestine. She had traveled to France in 2018 with a student visa to pursue a master’s degree in French linguistics.

 

Esfandiari was arrested in Lyon on March 1 last year—just ten days before her planned return to Iran—for her activities on a Telegram channel supporting the Palestinian cause.

 

Earlier, Baghaei had described her arrest as an “arbitrary detention.” Deputy Foreign Minister Jalalzadeh also criticized France’s actions, saying that “Ms. Esfandiari has been taken hostage by a country that claims to be the cradle of freedom, simply for supporting the oppressed people of Palestine, including its women and children.”

A group of students attends a gathering in support of an Iranian student prisoner in France, Mahdieh Esfandiari, in front of the French embassy in Tehran, Iran, October 21, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)