By Staff, Agencies

The sister of Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian citizen and university lecturer who has been arbitrarily detained in France for about six months, says French police officers forcibly removed her hijab from day one in custody.

Zahra Esfandiari made the remarks on Wednesday.

She said that French policemen broke into her sister’s home in the French city of Lyon in the morning of February 28, 2025, and arrested her.

She said that her sister had a Telegram channel where she regularly shared updates on recent developments, particularly in the Gaza Strip, where "Israel" is waging a genocidal war.

There have been no court hearings into charges against Mahdieh, who is being kept in solitary confinement, Zahra added.

“She is under psychological pressure. They took away her hijab from day one.”

Zahra further said that French authorities are not allowing Mahdieh to continue her non-meat diet and choose the food that she wants to eat.

Mahdieh Esfandiari, a 39-year-old Iranian linguist and graduate in French language, has lived in France for the past eight years and works as a professor, translator, and interpreter after graduating from Lyon’s Lumière University.

After an unexplained and prolonged absence following her arrest, the academic’s family notified Iranian officials.

French judicial authorities finally confirmed in early April 2025 that she had been detained and was being held at Freshness Prison in the suburbs of Paris.

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office charged the Iranian academic based on her Telegram posts, which they claimed were supportive of the historic Palestinian operation against "Israel" on October 7, 2023.