France demands Iran release teacher, embassy worker

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government demanded on Saturday that Iran immediately release French teaching assistant Clotilde Reiss and Tehran embassy staff member Nazak Afshar, saying espionage accusations against them were baseless.

An Iranian court has charged the women and dozens of others with spying and helping a Western plot to overthrow clerical rule, in a trial that Britain described as an "outrage."

Reiss' friends and family expressed the hope that the trial meant talks over the young woman's release were progressing.

"After Clotilde Reiss' appearance before a court in Tehran, France renews its demand for the immediate liberation of the young academic, since the accusations against her are baseless," the foreign ministry said in a statement. It said it also demanded that Afshar be freed.

France also protested against the conditions of the women's court appearance, saying its embassy had been neither informed nor allowed to attend the trial in line with international law.

"We also deplore that Clotilde Reiss and Madame Afshare were not assisted by a lawyer," the ministry said.

Reiss's father said on Saturday he believed a solution could be found in the coming weeks.

Reiss's best friend, French postgraduate student Liliane Anjo, told reporters in Paris the trial was fairly positive as it meant talks were moving ahead. "I'm optimistic in the sense that her trial today proves that things are advancing," she said.

France said it was in close contact with its European partners, and in Brussels, the European Union's Swedish presidency expressed concern at the Tehran trial and demanded the two Iranians and one Frenchwoman be released.

"The presidency reiterates that action against one EU country, citizen or embassy staff, is considered an action against all of the EU," Sweden said in a statement. "The EU will closely follow the trial and demands that the persons be released promptly."

(Additional reporting by Antony Paone; editing by Tim Pearce)