Esfandiari thanks Iranians for solidarity as France tries activist over pro-Palestine views

Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari (R) walks before her "trial" at a Paris courthouse on January 13, 2026.

Iranian academic and activist Mahdieh Esfandiari has thanked Iranians for their widespread support, as a French court presses ahead with her controversial "trial" following months of illegal detention over her pro-Palestine activism.

Speaking in an interview with Iran’s national broadcaster IRIB in Paris on Thursday, Esfandiari said she was deeply moved by the reaction she saw after her release from prison.

“What was very interesting and an honor for me was seeing that the people of Iran still stand with the Axis of Resistance, still love Iran, and still support their fellow citizens,” she said.

She said messages shared on social media and on Iranian television resonated with her own beliefs, including a comment that she quoted: “Wherever we Iranians are, we defend what is right.”

“If there is a rightful word to say, we say it. We are not afraid, even if it costs us,” she said, referring to another comment.

Esfandiari was arrested in France in March 2024 after speaking out online against Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, but her detention was only disclosed weeks later.

Her family says she was denied access to her hijab and a phone for 50 days and spent months in solitary confinement on unsubstantiated charges of “apology of terrorism,” despite French law limiting detention without a warrant to 48 hours.

Her "trial" began Tuesday and is scheduled to last four days.

“I'm here today to finally speak about the facts, as there have been a lot of wrong stories about me in the media, and a lot of lies,” Esfandiari said as she entered the court.

Meanwhile, proceedings have been marred by disruption, including the dismissal and collapse of a defense lawyer during a hearing on Thursday, IRIB reported.

The disruptions have raised questions among observers about the fairness and transparency of the process.

The court had initially informed the defendants that it would announce its ruling at the end of the fourth session, on Friday evening. However, lawyers said Wednesday that the court has now told them it will delay issuing the verdict, without specifying a new date, according to the report.

In October, Tehran announced that Esfandiari had been put in a prisoner exchange plan with Deputy Foreign Minister Vahid Jalalzadeh, saying that she had been taken hostage by Paris.