Independent Iranian journalist Hazamy detained in France amid crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices
French security forces have arrested freelance reporter Shahin Hazamy as part of a crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices.
Media reports on Wednesday revealed that the dual Iranian-French national was detained in Paris for expressing support for Palestine.
French magazine Le Point confirmed through Hazamy’s lawyer that the arrest was based on accusations of “apologie du terrorisme,” a criminal charge under French law that pertains to supporting “terrorist acts.”
Hazamy was arrested on Tuesday at approximately 6:14 a.m. at his home in Paris and remains in temporary detention while the French judiciary investigates the case.
Reports said that Hazamy was violently arrested in front of his wife and two young children, aged 1 and 3.
Social media posts by Hazamy show his support for Palestinian and Lebanese resistance groups, as well as photos taken during recent visits to Lebanon.
Hazamy had also expressed solidarity with Mahdieh Esfandiari, a detained Iranian academic living in Lyon, who has been held since early March under similar charges. Hazamy had actively campaigned for Esfandiari’s release from prison.
According to Le Point, Esfandiari's posts on social media show that the pro-Palestinian advocate was a supporter of the Hamas resistance movement.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has criticized the arrests, demanding explanations and consular access.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said earlier in April that such detentions raise serious concerns about the rights of Iranian nationals in France.
The arrests come amid a crackdown in the US and other Western countries targeting scholars, students, and activists who oppose the ongoing Israeli genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Pro-Palestinian human rights advocates say the arrests and deportation of activists are attacks aimed at terrorizing and silencing those who have courageously amplified Palestinian resistance and the call for freedom.
They say the repression of freedom of speech in the West will allow Israel to continue the genocide in Gaza.
At least 51,300 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 117,090 individuals injured in the Israeli genocide since October 7, 2023.
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