- Matt Fox
- BBC News Northern Ireland
Bernard Phelan has been imprisoned in Iran since October 2022
Concern is growing for Bernard Phelan, a Franco-Irish man who went on a hunger and water strike after being held in an Iranian prison.
A French diplomatic source told AFP on Wednesday that Phelan was in “critical condition” and that “serious indications of physical and psychological terror” were appearing on him.
He confirmed that the Iranian authorities have so far refused to release Phelan for health reasons, despite requests from the French and Irish authorities to do so.
Bernard Phelan, 64, was arrested on October 3, during a wave of anti-government protests that saw millions take to the streets.
Phelan had traveled to Iran with a French passport, before he was arrested for allegedly taking pictures of police officers and a mosque that had been set on fire.
He is one of seven people with French nationality who have been detained in Iran. Two elephants are currently in Vakil Abad prison in Mashhad, Iran’s second largest city.
Phelan denied several charges against him, including publishing anti-regime propaganda and taking pictures of the security services.
He began a hunger strike since the beginning of the New Year to protest his imprisonment, and he began on Tuesday by refusing to drink liquids.
Conditions inside the prison are said to be poor, with 16 people in one cell amid freezing temperatures at night.
It is believed that some of the people who were held captive with Phelan were actually executed.
A few days ago, international criticism poured in after the execution of the British-Iranian Ali Reza Akbari. Akbari had been convicted of spying for the United Kingdom, which he denied.
“very sick”
Phelan’s sister, Caroline Massey-Phelan, told The Irish Times she feared for her brother’s life.
“We want them to release him. It is not in anyone’s interest for him to stay in prison. He is very sick now. He has a heart condition, he has a bone disease,” she added.
“He used to drink tea and add sugar to it. Now he has stopped, and we are very concerned,” she added.
She said he was “an Irish citizen who has no quarrel with Iran”.
Phelan was living in the French capital, Paris, and went to Iran while working for a tourism company.
“All he was doing was promoting Iran as a tourist destination,” said Masse-Phelain.
When he announced his hunger strike, Phelan said he understood the risks involved and would “hold the Iranian government fully responsible for any negative repercussions on his health.”
French government officials issued a statement on Vaillant on Tuesday.
They emphasized that Phelan is among seven French nationals currently being held in Iran, and that they are “extremely concerned about his poor health which requires proper medical monitoring, which is not guaranteed in custody.”
The French Foreign Ministry said: “We are stepping up pressure on Iran in coordination with the Irish government to ensure the release of our citizen without delay.”
Ireland’s Foreign Office said it was “aware of the case and providing consular assistance, in close coordination with France, from the outset”.
“The issue was also raised directly with the Iranian authorities,” the ministry added in a statement.
“As with all consular matters, the consulate does not comment on the details of any specific case,” she added.
