Iran jails ill Irish-French national for six-and-a-half years on spying charges
Iran has sentenced an Irish-French citizen to six-and-a-half years in jail. Bernard Phelan has been held since his arrest in October in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
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The 64-year-old suffers from a number of health problems, some requiring daily medication. His family say his life is in danger.
Bernard Phelan, a Paris-based travel consultant, is accused of transmitting information to an enemy state, a charge he denies.
At an initial hearing on 20 February, where he was assisted by a regime-appointed lawyer, Phelan was sentenced to three and a half years, a reduced penalty in view of his health condition and age.
However, a second hearing on 26 February saw the sentenced increased to six-and-a-half years.
Bernard Phelan is one of some two dozen foreigners jailed in Iran.
The jailed man's family said that his health has "deteriorated considerably" in detention stressing that he needs daily medication for a number of health problems. His family fear his medical supplies are running out.
Phelan's health issues include cardiovascular problems, hypertension, high risk of stroke and kidney failure, as well as a bone condition that generates significant chronic pain. His eyesight is also deteriorating.
Phelan went on hunger strike in January to protest his detention but stopped the action at the request of his family, who feared he would die.
Prison with Benjamin Brière
Phelan has been accused of taking photos of a burned mosque and police officers during anti-regime protests, and sending images to a British newspaper, the family said, adding that he denies the accusations.
He has also been accused of taking 900-year-old pieces of pottery from a village, which he also denies.
Six French citizens, described as "hostages" by the French foreign ministry, are currently held in prison by Iran.French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah was released from prison in February but it remains unclear if she will be able to leave the country.
French citizen Benjamin Brière, detained in May 2020 and later sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage, was acquitted by an appeals court but remains in prison in a situation deemed "incomprehensible" by his family.
Phelan and Brière are held in the prison of Vakilabad in Mashhad. Brière is continuing the hunger strike he started a month ago, and is "exhausted physically and mentally," according to his French lawyer.
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