PARIS, Feb 26 (Reuters) – A French court on Thursday convicted an Iranian national of glorifying terrorism in social media posts, sentencing her to four years in prison with three years suspended and ordering her to leave France.
The defendant, Mahdieh Esfandiari, is a student living in Lyon. Her lawyer called the decision “severe” and said she would appeal.
Esfandiari was arrested last year over posts that praised Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel, the court heard.
The ruling comes as France is seeking to bring two of its citizens back from Iran.
(Additional reporting by John Irish; Writing by Makini Brice; editing by Richard Lough, Alexandra Hudson)
