A French tourist owned by the Iranian authorities for more than two years has been released and returned to France, said President Emmanuel Macron.
Olivier Rondeau, 34, is “free” and with his family, Macron wrote on X Thursday, adding: “We share the immense happiness and the relief of his family.”
Mr. Rondeau was arrested in southern Iran in October 2022 and sentenced to five years in prison for “conspiracy against the Islamic Republic”. His family has always denied the accusations.
The Iranian regime has arrested many tourists and double nationals in recent years, mainly charges of spying and national security.
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noel Barrot, published a photo of Mr. Rondeau on Thursday on a plane.
“Held hostage in Iran for 887 days, he found his family, his relatives and his country. It is a huge relief,” he wrote.
Speaking publicly for the first time since his arrest in January, Mr. Rondeau said he was “held hostage” by the authorities.
His family described him as a fan passionate about Persian poetry who had gone to Iran with a tourist visa as part of a world tour.
Two other French citizens are currently detained in Iran.
Cecile Kohler, teacher, and her partner, Jacques Paris, were detained in May 2022 and accused of trying to arouse demonstrations, which their families denied.
There is more and more concern about their health and France has put pressure on their release several times.
“Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris must be released from Iranian prisons,” said Macron in her post on Thursday.
Human rights groups say tourists and two nationals are often organized for leverage in diplomatic negotiations, only released when Iran gets something in return.
The British Foreign Office confirmed last month that a British couple – Craig and Lindsay Foreman – had been detained.
They were accused of spying, Iranian state media reporting that they were detained in the southeast city of Kerman.
In January, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, 29, returned to Rome after spending weeks in an Iranian prison. According to information, she was detained in isolation in the notorious prison of Evin de Tehran.
