Paris, July 07: France has demanded the immediate release of a French woman academician who has been arrested in Iran on charges of spying, the French foreign ministry said late Monday.
“The charge of espionage is without foundation,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We call on the Iranian authorities immediately to release our citizen and allow her to leave Iran for France, where her family awaits her,” it said.
It said the woman had been arrested on July 1 as she was leaving at an airport at the end of a five-month visit. The French ambassador immediately protested.
“France has informed its European partners, and calls on all Europeans to show solidarity,” the statement added.
–IANS–