French citizen tried on drone spying charges in Iran

French citizen, Benjamin Brière will be tried in Iran for drone spying charges after taking aerial photos in a prohibited area. According to his lawyer, Iran accuses him of espionage which can carry the death penalty.

French citizen tried on drone spying charges in Iran

Brière was arrested last year on charges that included espionage, a crime that can carry the death penalty in Iran, his lawyer said on Sunday.

Brière, who is in his mid-30s was arrested in May 2020. The NYT reported that according to his lawyer, Iranian prosecutors had confirmed his client would be tried on two counts of espionage and “propaganda against the system.”

According to Saeid Dehghan, a human rights lawyer who represents Brière, “The prosecutor is preparing the indictment and sending it to the revolutionary court.”

If Brière is convicted for propaganda he could face a prison sentence of three months to one year. If he is however found guilty of espionage because he was drone spying, he could be facing the death penalty.

Blandine Brière, his sister, has said that the charges against her brother are baseless and said that he was merely a French tourist in Iran.

We have no information on the kind of drone that was used in this alleged drone spying News story.

Almost exactly one year ago, we reported on this Aussie couple arrested at gunpoint in Iran for flying a drone.

Saeid Dehghan's Twitter account, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

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