PARIS — French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced Friday that two French prisoners detained in the northeast of Iran, Benjamin Briere and Bernard Phelan, were released from jail and on their way back to France.
"[Both] were given medical care upon their release from prison. I am delighted that they will soon be able to meet their loved ones in Paris," said Colonna. "Throughout their detention in Mashhad prison, our compatriots and their loved ones have benefited from the permanent support of our diplomacy, in particular our embassy in Tehran and the crisis and support center of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs."
Colonna said she had spoken Friday morning with her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, thanking him for the release of the two French nationals. "I reiterated France's determination to ensure that the other French citizens still held in Iran also regain their full freedom quickly and enjoy their right to consular protection," she said.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed he had spoken with Colonna over the phone Friday, describing the release of the two French nationals as "humanitarian action."
