Lawyer hopeful French academic will be acquitted of endangering Iran’s security

Lawyer hopeful Iran will acquit French academic

TEHRAN, Iran — A lawyer for a French academic charged with endangering Iran’s security said Saturday he is hopeful she will be acquitted in a verdict expected within a week.

Clotilde Reiss, who worked for five months at the University of Isfahan in central Iran, was arrested in July at the height of the crackdown on opposition protesters who took to the streets after June’s disputed presidential election.

The 24-year-old is charged with endangering national security and taking part in anti-government protests. A final hearing in her case was held Saturday in a Tehran court.

Her lawyer, Mohammad Ali Mahdavi Sabet, said a verdict is expected within a week.

“Reiss rejected all the charges against her and insisted that she had no bad intentions against Iran,” Sabet told The Associated Press. “I’m hopeful she will be acquitted.”

She is among more than 100 people brought to trial starting in August to face accusations of fomenting the turmoil after June’s election and seeking to overthrow the government.

France has strongly protested Reiss’s trial, saying she is innocent.

Reiss was released on bail after a month and a half in custody but only under the condition that she remain at the French Embassy in Tehran until her trial is over.