The news of the disappearance of Mahdieh Esfandiari, a 39-year-old Iranian citizen who has been living in the city of Lyon, France since 2018, was announced by her family in March 2025.
After a long period without any news from her, Esfandiari's family informed the Iranian authorities, and the process of following up on the status of this Iranian citizen began at that time.
Esfandiari is a translator and graduate of the University of Lyon, who disappeared in early March 2025.
Following diplomatic efforts, it was revealed that Esfandiari had been arrested by the French police, but the details of this case and the charges against her remained unclear.
Finally, the French publication Le Point reported on April 12 that French authorities had broken their one-month silence and provided information about the fate of this Iranian citizen.
Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ismail Baghaei, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to the Mizan News Agency on February 20, regarding the disappearance of this Iranian citizen in France, saying: "Unfortunately, we have learned that one of our citizens residing in France has gone missing a few days ago in France; so far, we have not received any specific information from the relevant French authorities about her status."
He continued, stating: " We spoke with the French embassy, and the consular section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed up; we hope to obtain specific information about her status as soon as possible so that her family can be relieved of their worries."
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also provided new information on February 27, during a press conference about the latest status of the case of the missing Iranian citizen in France; he said: "Regarding the disappearance of an Iranian woman whose relatives had no information about her for about 12-13 days, our efforts unfortunately did not yield results, we have at least learned that she is in the custody of the French police."
Baghaei further stated: "We do not know the reason for this, but we know to this extent that this respected woman has been an activist supporting the people of Palestine and apparently had published content in support of the oppressed people of Gaza."
Report by a Palestine-supporting journalist
Shahin Hazami, an independent journalist and supporter of Palestine, wrote on his social media account that Mahdieh Esfandiari was arrested after publishing messages on a Telegram channel condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
He described Esfandiari's arrest as a worrying turning point, indicating an intensification of suppression against those who speak out about the current crimes in Gaza and condemn the genocide of the Palestinian people.
Hazami emphasized: "In France, like many Western countries, solidarity with the people of Palestine, contrary to the fundamental principles of freedom of expression, is increasingly being criminalized."
Le Point's report on Mahdieh Esfandiari's case
The French publication Le Point recently provided alleged details of Mahdieh Esfandiari's case in a report; previously, French television had reported this news.
Le Point introduced Esfandiari as a 39-year-old Iranian woman living in Lyon, France, and a translator who disappeared in Lyon on February 28, 2025 and has been in detention at the "Fresnes" prison in "Val-de-Marne" since March 2.
According to Le Point, the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office announced that Mahdieh Esfandiari has been imprisoned on charges of what it called "supporting terrorism."
Le Point claimed that "the story of Mahdieh Esfandiari" actually dates back to October 30, 2023, when the National Center for Combating Online Hate (PNLH) received a report from the French Minister of the Interior regarding the publication of messages on a Telegram account.
The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office stated in this regard that the report claimed that her messages praised the Al-Aqsa Storm (the operation of the Palestinian resistance movement), inciting terrorist actions and insulting the Jewish community.
The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office further claimed: On November 7, 2024, the National Center for Combating Online Hate began judicial investigations in this matter and ultimately arrested two individuals on February 28, 2025, on charges of what it called "incitement to terrorism."
Esfandiari's case reminiscent of Bashir Biazar's case
Mahdieh Esfandiari's case is reminiscent of a similar case involving another Iranian citizen in France.
In June 2024, the French police arrested Bashir Biazar, a 42-year-old Iranian citizen residing in France, and placed him under administrative detention.
Biazar remained in detention until his deportation from France on the alleged charge of posing a serious public threat.
The French Ministry of the Interior justified its action to deport Biazar by claiming that he had published messages in support of Gaza on social media.
Since the beginning of the Zionist regime's war against Gaza in October 2023, France has expanded the alleged law of public online praise of terrorism to include speeches and actions in support of Palestine.
The aforementioned law, under which France has accused Mahdieh Esfandiari, is only part of Paris's service to the Zionist regime to suppress protests against crimes against Gaza.