The mother of a French traveller detained in Iran for two years has said authorities “know he is innocent” but continue to hold him in the country’s notorious Evin prison.
Olivier Grondeau, 33, was arrested from his hotel room in Shiraz, in the south of Iran, on 12 October 2022, just weeks into the Woman, Life, Freedom anti-government protests that engulfed the country. The writer, poet and bookseller was in the country as part of a world tour.
For two years, he had asked his family to keep his case private so not to hinder diplomatic efforts. After those efforts stalled, he decided this month to go public by allowing his family to publish an audio recording of him accusing Iran of using him for “political blackmail” against France.
In an interview with the Guardian, his mother, Thérèse Grondeau, said: “For weeks after his arrest I had no idea if my son was dead or alive or was in a hospital. It was the darkest hour.”
He was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of “gathering information with a view to handing it over to the opposing espionage service”. He has categorically denied the allegations and maintains his innocence.
Grondeau’s friends and family followed his decision to keep his name anonymous while the French authorities continued to make diplomatic efforts, which are still going on, says Thérèse.
“For weeks ahead of him revealing his identity, he was reaching a burnout and now that his name is out in the media, it has really helped his morale. He’s otherwise a very private person,” she said.
In his audio message that was broadcast on French radio, Grondeau addressed French authorities and said his strength was “running out”, as was that of fellow French detainees, teacher Cécile Kohler and her partner, Jacques Paris. They were arrested in May 2022 and accused of stirring up labour protests on their trip to Iran, accusations their families have vehemently denied.
“Your responsibility is called upon to ensure the survival of three human beings,” Grondeau said.
In one of his dictated letters sent home and published in Le Monde, he said he was “abducted” by four men waiting at the door of his hotel in the city of Shiraz and put in a windowless room. Among the foreign nationals arrested during the same time was 24-year-old Spanish tourist Ana Baneira, who was released in February 2023 after four months in detention. Olivier’s friends revealed he had bonded with Baneira during the trip.
He spent the first day blindfolded and handcuffed. His family was alerted 10 days later that his phone was unreachable. After initial police custody in Shiraz, he was sent to custody in Evin, in Tehran. His family received the first “sign of life” on 16 November 2022, a month after his arrest. He was able to make the first call to his family 72 days after his arrest, and only when he was re-transferred to Shiraz from Evin.
Speaking of his prison conditions, his friend Tristan Bultiauw said: “We only found out later about the horrible prison conditions during initial police custody. He was in an extremely overpopulated cell and slept on the floor.”
Olivier has since been moved back to Evin prison, where high-profile international detainees have been held in the past. He “doesn’t open up about the true conditions of his imprisonment in Evin and tries to reassure the family and friends, even though he suffers a lot”, Bultiauw added.
His mother revealed the calls he makes to the family from Evin are always monitored by a guard. “It was easier to make calls when he was in Shiraz, but in Evin we have no idea when and what time he will call. It’s always controlled.”
When asked if she had a message for the Islamic Republic’s authorities, she said: “I have nothing to say to them, except that they know he’s innocent and his dossier is empty.”
The revelation of Olivier’s identity came days after the release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala this month. The office of the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said her swift release was the result of “intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels”.
Thérèse said: “There have been immense diplomatic efforts and every country deals with issues differently so we can’t compare. It did not affect me and I am very happy for Cecilia and hope the others are also free soon.”
Olivier’s family say they have been able to send him books and he is allowed consular visits once every two or three months. Thérèse says she spends her time researching, organising things for Olivier and gathering books requested by him.
His mother and his friends also said that despite two years and three months in the cell, he continues to send birthday wishes to his friends and remembers all their birthdays.
“He’s a foodie. He asks his mother to bake a cake for each one of us,” said Bultiauw. “He’s truly a very special friend to us all.”
