A Parisian tribunal has sentenced 39-year-old Mahdieh Esfandiari to one year of unconditional imprisonment and a lifelong ban on entering France. The verdict concerns the public praise of terrorist acts on social media. The case is causing major diplomatic tensions, as the convicted woman is seen as a potential exchange offer for two French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been held by the regime in Tehran for nearly four years.

Guilty Verdict in Paris

One year of unconditional imprisonment and a lifelong ban on entering France for publishing content praising terrorism.

Electronic Monitoring

The convicted woman was placed under house arrest in Paris until the verdict becomes final and the appeal process concludes.

Prisoner Exchange Issue

The case is seen as a bargaining chip in negotiations to secure the release of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris from Iran.

Mahdieh Esfandiari, a 39-year-old Iranian citizen residing in France since 2018, has received a final verdict sentencing her to one year of unconditional imprisonment. The court found that her online activity, conducted via Telegram, X, and YouTube platforms, exceeded the bounds of freedom of speech and constituted a clear apology for terrorism. Investigators proved that the woman managed accounts linked to the so-called "Axis of Resistance" and regularly published content glorifying Hamas's attacks on Israel from October 2023. In addition to the prison sentence, she was given a definitive ban on residing in the territory of the French Republic, meaning deportation after serving her sentence. The court ordered Esfandiari to be placed under electronic monitoring in the form of house arrest in Paris. This measure is intended to ensure her presence in the country until the appeal announced by her defense is considered. The convicted woman's lawyer argued that the sentence is disproportionately harsh and has a strictly political dimension. The accused herself, a student at a university in Lyon, consistently denied the charges during the trial, claiming her posts were merely a form of political commentary and not incitement to violence or support for terrorist organizations. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has repeatedly used the arrests of foreigners as a tool of pressure in international relations, a practice political scientists refer to as hostage diplomacy.The Esfandiari case is inextricably linked to the fate of two French teachers, Cécile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris. The couple was detained in Iran in May 2022 on charges of espionage and attempting to destabilize the state. Although they were recently moved from prison to the French embassy in Tehran, their status remains unclear, and the possibility of returning to their homeland is blocked by Iranian authorities. Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghachi, explicitly suggested that the fate of the French hostages depends on how the French justice system treats Esfandiari. <cytat autor=

Mentioned People

  • Mahdieh Esfandiari — 39-year-old Iranian citizen sentenced by a French court for apology for terrorism.
  • Cécile Kohler — French citizen, trade union activist held in Iran since May 2022.
  • Jacques Paris — Partner of Cécile Kohler, also held in Iran on espionage charges.
  • Abbas Araghachi — Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, suggesting the possibility of a prisoner exchange.