TEHRAN – A coalition of 165 Iranian female athletes pleaded with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to intervene in the case of Iranian scholar Mahdieh Esfandiari, held in France. Esfandiari, who was detained since February for expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza, faces accusations related to social media posts.
The athlete denounced French authorities’ “illegal and inhumane” treatment and cited solitary confinement and denial of care. Requiring Esfandiari’s “unconditional release,” they condemned France’s attempts to silence the truth. Esfandiari himself said, “Genocide is a dishonorable humanity.”
The letter warned that silence was accompanied by oppression in this aspect of injustice, and that history would record such accomplice. They emphasized that recognizing Palestine requires action against injustice rather than restraining free thought, and sought a unified, global voice against oppression.
Despite Iran’s foreign ministry’s protests and demands for legal justification, France has provided no solid evidence, but prosecutors have argued that Esfandiari is currently investigating “to praise terrorism” and has dismissed accusations that were dismissed as politically motivated.