French citizen Olivier Grondeau is freed after over 880 days in a prison in Iran

French officials On Thursday announced the return of Olivier Grondeau, a French citizen who was imprisoned in Iran for over 880 days. Another French citizen who was under house arrest in Tehran was also freed.

Their releases come as France and other European countries try to revive talks over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced online that Grondeau had been freed. While the French Foreign Ministry confirmed that another citizen was also released on Wednesday night. The person spent over four months under house arrest in Tehran. He has asked not to be named as per the ministry.

In January, Grondeau spoke to a French broadcaster from prison, alluding at the time to the politics at play in his imprisonment. “You become a human who has been stocked away indefinitely because one government is seeking to exert pressure on another,” he said.

His lawyer in France, Chirinne Ardakani, said he returned on Monday to Paris. “He’s in good hands. He’s recovering,” the attorney told The Associated Press.

Grondeau was detained by Iranian authorities in October 2022 in the city of Shiraz. He was sentenced to five years in prison on espionage charges. Both his family and the French government deny these accusations

Iran yet to acknowledge release

According to the Associated Press, Iran has not officially acknowledged Grondeau’s release. Tehran has historically released Western prisoners in exchange deals. Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said France had arrested an Iranian woman who supported Palestinians, but said Tehran was still gathering details about her case.

The exact reason behind Grondeau’s arrest remain unclear. However, he was detained following the death of Mahsa Amini. Amini was a 22-year-old woman who was detained by authorities for not wearing a hijab, a mandatory headscarf for women in the country. Her death sparked nationwide outrage.

Grondeau was held at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, which holds Westerners, dual nationals and political prisoners – often used by Tehran as leverage in negotiations with the West.

(With inputs from Associated Press)