An Iranian court on Tuesday convicted French national Benjamin Brière of espionage, sentencing him to eight years and eight months in prison, Briere’s lawyer said, describing the ruling as the result of a biased, highly politicised judicial process, reports The Independent.
Brière, 36, has been held in Iran 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.
Brière was charged with spying and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic”.
He has through his lawyers consistently denied wrongdoing.
“This ruling is the result of a purely political process,” his lawyer, Philippe Valent, said in a statement.