Olivier Grondin's Mother: The Islamic Republic is Seeking 'Political Extortion'

The mother of Olivier Grondin, a French citizen detained in Iran in 2022, accused the Islamic Republic of using her son as a tool for 'political extortion' against France, asserting his innocence. She stated that Iranian officials are aware of Olivier's innocence but continue to imprison him in Evin prison. In addition to Olivier Grondin, French trade union activist Cecile Kohler and her husband Jacques Paris are also imprisoned in Iran. Olivier Grondin, 33, was arrested in a hotel room in Shiraz, southern Iran, just weeks after the recent nationwide protests that became known as the anti-government 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement. This French writer, poet, and bookseller had traveled to Iran as part of a tourist group. For the past two years, Olivier had asked his family to remain silent to avoid complicating diplomatic negotiations between Tehran and Paris, but after these efforts reached a deadlock, he urged them to publicize his detention. In a voice message broadcast by Radio France on Monday, January 24, he spoke about his situation and accused the Islamic Republic of 'political hostage-taking.' Therese Grondin, Olivier's mother, told The Guardian that she had not heard from her son for weeks and did not know what had happened to him. She firmly rejected the accusation of 'gathering information to hand over to an opposing intelligence agency' against her son, asserting that Olivier is innocent and strongly protested against his five-year prison sentence. She added that they had remained silent about Olivier's detention at his request for a long time to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to proceed. In his voice message, Olivier Grondin addressed French officials, stating that his energy, like that of two other French prisoners, Cecile Kohler and her husband Jacques Paris, is running out. They were accused of inciting labor protests in Iran in 2022, an accusation denied by the families of these two French citizens. Olivier stated in his voice message, 'The court that convicted me had no evidence against me.' Aware of the risks of releasing this message, he continued, 'I am innocent; everyone here knows I am innocent.' The health of this French citizen remains very fragile. His relatives warn that since the beginning of December, his condition has been serious and concerning, and he has started taking antidepressants. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the detention of these French citizens as 'state hostage-taking' and 'ongoing extortion' by the Islamic Republic, strongly condemning the Iranian government's actions. Human rights groups believe that the Islamic Republic seeks to gain leverage over other countries by detaining foreign nationals. The Islamic Republic has denied these accusations and claims that the detention of individuals is a diplomatic pressure tactic. This article also draws on a report from The Guardian.