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Jailed French Tourist to Appear in Iran Court on Thursday on Spying Charges

A woman holds a photo of Benjamin Briere during a rally in Paris, France, on January 8, 2022. (AP)
A woman holds a photo of Benjamin Briere during a rally in Paris, France, on January 8, 2022. (AP)
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Jailed French Tourist to Appear in Iran Court on Thursday on Spying Charges

A woman holds a photo of Benjamin Briere during a rally in Paris, France, on January 8, 2022. (AP)
A woman holds a photo of Benjamin Briere during a rally in Paris, France, on January 8, 2022. (AP)

A jailed French tourist in Iran, Benjamin Briere, will appear before a Revolutionary Court on Thursday on spying charges, his Iranian lawyer told Reuters on Wednesday.

"Benjamin will attend the court to be tried for spying and acting against national security charges," one of his lawyers Saeid Dehghan said.

Briere has been held since May 2020, when he was arrested after flying a helicam - a remote-controlled mini helicopter used to obtain aerial or motion images - in the desert near the Turkmenistan-Iran border. He was charged with espionage and propaganda against Iran.

His trial comes as the United States and parties to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal including France are trying to restore the pact, which was abandoned in 2018 by then-US president Donald Trump.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners in recent years, mostly on espionage charges.

Rights activists have accused Iran of arresting dual citizens and foreigners to try to win concessions from other countries. Tehran denies holding people for political reasons.

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M23 Rebels Enter Center of Congo's Strategic City of Bukavu

Residents walk next to a vehicle with M23 fighters on in Bukavu on February 16, 2025. (AFP)
Residents walk next to a vehicle with M23 fighters on in Bukavu on February 16, 2025. (AFP)
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M23 Rebels Enter Center of Congo's Strategic City of Bukavu

Residents walk next to a vehicle with M23 fighters on in Bukavu on February 16, 2025. (AFP)
Residents walk next to a vehicle with M23 fighters on in Bukavu on February 16, 2025. (AFP)

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels were seen in the center of eastern Congo's second-largest city, Bukavu, on Sunday, said a local official, a security source and five eyewitnesses, as a spokesperson for the militia told Reuters: "We are there".

The armed group had been advancing on the capital of South Kivu province since seizing the city of Goma in late January. The fall of Bukavu, if confirmed, would represent the most significant expansion of territory under the M23's control since the latest insurgency started in 2022.

M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma said in a telephone message that the group was in the city.

The Congolese army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"I'm at home, and I can see with my own eyes the M23 entering our town," a local official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.