Six months after his arrest, Benjamin Brière now knows the charges against him by the Iranian courts. And they are heavy. The French tourist, who was touring the country in a van, is accused of “espionage” and “propaganda against the system” of the Islamic Republic, according to the revelations Monday of Saeid Dehghan, one of his lawyers. The 35-year-old travel enthusiast was arrested by security forces in May 2020 while operating a travel drone in a natural park in the northeast of the country. His case could now be part of a political hostage haggling between Iran and France, a practice tested in recent years by the Islamic Republic to obtain the release of Iranian prisoners in Europe.
After having first kept silent, in the hope of a quick release of her brother, Blandine Brière decided to speak. In an exclusive interview with Point, she underlines that Benjamin Brière is only a tourist, whose only mistake is to have “fallen in love” with Iran. And calls on the French authorities to push to get him out of this country.Point : What is the latest news that you have from Benjamin?
Blandine Briere : I haven’t heard directly from Benjamin recently. The latest information is the two charges that fell yesterday, namely the espionage and propaganda charges. It is a blow of the hammer, a shock to say that they are very real. The situation is completely surreal and we are in the most total misunderstanding. The charges against Benjamin are completely unfounded. My brother, as a tourist, just went to live his van dream in Iran. It was there that I said to myself that perhaps I should take the floor to get things done.
Benjamin Brière was arrested in May 2020. Why speak only now?
Because, until now, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs had advised us to remain silent and wait for things to get better. We were really hopeful that things would resolve quickly for Benjamin. But it has now been almost ten months we have not moved forward and we have decided to speak out because the accusations against him are grotesque.
Why did Benjamin Brière go to Iran?
He left to cross Iran with his van, as he has done in many other countries. His dream is adventure. Benjamin has completely rearranged his vehicle to be able to travel and live inside. It is energy self-sufficient. He totally fell in love with Iran and its people. He explained to me that he had met some wonderful people and landscapes. Initially, he wanted to stay there for five to six months. But left in November 2020, my brother had enjoyed the country so much that he decided to stay there more.
Considering the geopolitical context, you did not dissuade him from going to the Islamic Republic?
We were particularly concerned that he was traveling alone, but Benjamin explained to us that he was sufficiently informed of the situation there to make the decision to go there. My brother works in events but always liked to travel. It does him a lot of good. It was one of his last big trips. He recently became an uncle and wanted to finally get back to a certain routine.
When did you learn of his arrest?
End of May 2020. I had news from him every 48 hours. But I haven’t had any for three days. He was then in a national park, far from everything, in northeastern Iran. I then contacted the French Embassy in Tehran. I was able to speak with Benjamin again for the first time a month later, for barely thirty seconds. “I’m fine, don’t worry,” he just told me. The consular visits took place much later, and there were a total of three or four. Moreover, I must stress that the French consul calls us regularly and follows the case closely, to ensure somehow the psychological health of my brother.
What is it ?
Benjamin is holding up physically even if it is very, very hard. We’ve had him on the phone twice in the past two months, and he’s been holding on. He is still in Mashhad prison, where he is treated well. He is locked in a cell with a dozen other prisoners. The problems that arise relate more to his privacy, the language barrier, and of course his morale. He was subjected to several interrogations by different people. Now he can still pursue small activities, such as leatherwork. It keeps him going, but it’s very difficult, especially when you’re a victim of all of this. We don’t know how it will end.
The espionage charge apparently relates to the use of a drone in a no-go area. What was your brother doing with such a device?
We are talking about a simple gadget, a drone for 100 euros that you find anywhere in the store to take travel photos! Nothing more. Myself, I use it on vacation. It is not in any way a weapon of war or whatnot! It doesn’t have to be a big deal. In our European countries, this type of junk drone remains very popular and everyone uses it. Obviously, things are different in Iran.
But he was according to the Iranians in a forbidden place
I have no proof of this, and if it were, Benjamin would obviously not have been aware of it himself and would have acted inadvertently. It would be sheer awkwardness. Again my brother is a tourist who was walking around in flip flops in Iran!
On propaganda charges, charges are said to be based on comments on networks about compulsory veiling in Iran
I really don’t have any information on that. I just don’t remember seeing it. After, Benjamin writes all his thoughts, without any embarrassment or scruples, on social networks, where he is followed by thousands of people. He was free enough to write down what he thought.
What are you going to do now?
I would like to remind you that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is with us in this story. He reassures us and we can call them at any time. The consul is doing his job and we have regular news from Benjamin. But ten months after his arrest, we can no longer be satisfied with that. We need to know that France will do everything to get him out of there. We need to get him home after ten months of blocking his file. Realize. Until yesterday, there was no evolution on the situation of my brother, and especially on the reasons for his imprisonment.
Precisely, the espionage accusations which now weigh against him suggest that the affair may last, and enter into the framework of a much larger diplomatic bargaining between France and Iran. Doesn’t that worry you?
Of course that scares me, but it’s a subject that I don’t understand. I don’t get involved in politics. I don’t ask for any details and don’t even want to know them. I just wish we got my brother out of there. I remind you that Benjamin just fell in love with a country, Iran, and its people. That is why he stayed there for a long time.
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