Iran has temporarily released French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, who has been in jail for more than a year over security breaches, her lawyer said on October 3.
"Fariba Adelkhah has come out [of prison] on leave with an electronic ankle bracelet," Said Dehghan said in a tweet, without providing other details.
Adelkhah is now with her family in Tehran, Dehghan told AFP, adding that "we hope that this temporary release will become final."
Adelkhah, a prominent anthropologist and specialist in Shi’ite Islam who often traveled to Iran for research, was arrested in June 2019. She is a citizen of Iran and France, but Tehran does not recognize dual nationality.
Adelkhah was sentenced on May 16 to five years in prison for "gathering and conspiring against national security."
French President Emmanuel Macron said in June that Adelkhah had been "arbitrarily arrested in Iran" and called her detainment "unacceptable."
Iran had rejected previous calls to release Adelkhah, saying the demands amounted to interference in Tehran's internal affairs.
Adelkhah's French colleague and partner Roland Marchal, who was detained with her, was released in March in a prisoner exchange between Iran and France.
Marchal was swapped for engineer Jalal Ruhollahnejad, but there had been little indication that Adelkhah would be released in a similar manner.
