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French court finds Iranian national guilty of glorifying terrorism

AL-MONITOR
Feb 26, 2026
A group of students attend a gathering in support of an Iranian student prisoner in France, Mahdieh Esfandiari, in front of the French embassy in Tehran, Iran, October 21, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A group of students attend a gathering in support of an Iranian student prisoner in France, Mahdieh Esfandiari, in front of the French embassy in Tehran, Iran, October 21, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS — Majid Asgaripour

PARIS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A French court on Thursday convicted an Iranian national of glorifying terrorism in social media posts.

* The court sentenced Mahdieh Esfandiari, a student living in the city of Lyon, to four years in prison. Three years of the sentence were suspended.

* Esfandiari was ordered to leave France. Her lawyer described the ruling as "severe" and said she would appeal.

* Esfandiari arrested last year for social media posts that praised Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel.

* France is trying to bring two of its citizens back from Iran.

(Additional reporting by John Irish; Writing by Makini Brice; editing by Richard Lough, Alexandra Hudson)

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