Iran slams French meddling in judicial case involving dual national

Kazem Gharibabadi, the Judiciary chief’s deputy, on Sunday, confirmed that Fariba Adelkhah had returned to jail for breaching her house arrest restrictions “dozens of times.”

France’s Foreign Ministry on January 12 condemned Adelkhah’s new imprisonment, threatening that her case would have negative consequences on Tehran-Paris ties.

Responding to the statement, Gharibabadi said, “Ms. Adelkhah is a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran and we fully condemn the interference of other countries in the relevant judicial process.”

Adelkhah — who is said to have been a researcher in Paris — was taken into custody in Iran in 2019 on espionage charges. The 62-year-old was given a five-year sentence after being found guilty of conspiring against national security.

In October 2020, she was allowed to live under house arrest, wearing an electronic-monitoring bracelet.

Gharibabadi rejected France’s statement as “hasty,” “baseless,” and “definitely unacceptable.”

The official explained that allowing an inmate to be placed under house arrest with electronic bracelets generally means that the individual is facing certain restrictions in that area.

“The prisoners themselves are aware of the restrictions and know that they will return to jail in case of any breaches,” Gharibabadi said.

“Ms. Adelkhah has knowingly violated the limits set for her during the house arrest dozens of times and insisted on doing so despite repeated warnings from judicial officials,” he said.