The French tourist attracted to Iranian authorities for more than two years has been published and returned to France, said President Emmanuel Macron.
Olivier Grundeau, 34, is “free” and wrote with his family on Thursday on X, adding: “We share the enormous happiness and relief of his family.”
Mr. Grundeau was arrested in southern Iran in October 2022 and sentenced to five years in prison for “conspiracy against the Islamic Republic”. His family always denied the charges.
The Iranian regime has arrested many tourists and double nationals in recent years, mainly for charges of spying and national security.
Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot posted a picture of Mr. Grundeau on a plane returning home on Thursday.
“He holds hostages in Iran for 887 days, reconnecting himself with his family, loved ones and his country. It’s a great relief,” he wrote.
Speaking publicly for the first time after his arrest in January, Mr. Grondeau said the authorities “held hostages”.
His family described him as a passionate fan of Persian poetry who traveled to Iran for a tourist visa as part of a world tour.
Two other French nationals are currently held in Iran.
Cecile K
There is a growing concern about their health and France has repeatedly lobbying for them.
“Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris must be freed from Iranian prison,” Macron said in his place on Thursday.
Human rights groups say that tourists and double nationals are often held for influence in diplomatic negotiations, releasing only when Iran in turn gets something.
The British external office confirmed last month that the British couple – Craig and Lindsay Foreman – was detained.
They are charged with spies, for Iranian state media reported that they were held in the southeastern city of Kerman.
In January, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, 29, returned to Rome after spending weeks in Iranian prison. The reports are stated that she was in solitary confinement in the infamous Tehran prison.
