Iran rejects French call for release of dual national scholar
October 4, 2019, 8:06 am

Iran rejects French call for release of dual national scholar

Iran confirmed the arrest of French-Iranian scholar Fariba Adelkhahon July 16. (Twitter)

French demands for the release of French-Iranian scholar Fariba Adelkhah are “interventionist” and “unacceptable,” said Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Friday, reported the semi-official Mehr news agency.

Iran’s judiciary confirmed Adelkhah’s arrest on July 16, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue with Tehran.

“It is vital and urgent for the Iranian authorities to be transparent in this case as well as for all cases of foreign nationals arrested in Iran”, French Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll told reporters in a daily online briefing on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The French Foreign Ministry’s statement does not help and will only further complicate Adelkhah’s case, said Mousavi.

“Iran does not recognise dual-nationality, and so Ms. Adelkhah is considered an Iranian national and enjoys all the rights of an Iranian citizen,” he said.

Mousavi described the French foreign ministry spokeswoman’s remarks as “unacceptable” and an “interference” in Iran’s internal affairs.

As well as Adelkhah, several other foreign nationals are currently detained in Iran.

British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested in April 2016 at a Tehran airport as she headed back to Britain with her daughter after a family visit. She has been given a five-year sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Iranian regime.

In August, an Iranian appeals court upheld a 10-year jail sentence against British Council staffer Aras Amiri for “cultural infiltration.”

Travel blogger Jolie King, an Australian-British national, and her Australian boyfriend Mark Firkin were arrested for allegedly flying a drone without a license in Iran.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a British-Australian academic, has also been detained for almost a year. She was given a 10-year prison sentence.

Demonstrator says shooters of Iraqi protesters ‘Iranians speaking Farsi’ Iraq’s top Shia cleric urges protesters, security forces not to use violence

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”