French Fotog, Found Fly-Filming ‘Forbidden’ Footage, Fighting for Freedom Facing Frightening Farsi Forces  

Iran has charged a French tourist, detained in the country for nearly a year after flying a drone-mounted camera, with espionage and “propaganda against the system,” the arrested man’s lawyer revealed on Monday. Benjamin Briere, 35, was arrested for “taking pictures in forbidden areas,” the attorney said, and was also found to have published a social media post in which he wrote that “the hijab is mandatory” in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but failed to mention other Islamic countries. A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry said Paris was monitoring the situation closely and was in contact with Briere, while his attorney insisted the prisoner was in good health and enjoyed consular protection. In recent years, Tehran has made a habit of arresting dozens of dual nationals, intended to be used as bargaining chips in negotiations with Western governments. European countries and the United States have in recent weeks tried to coax the Islamic Republic into returning to the abandoned 2015 nuclear agreement.