Iranian artists held after diplomat meeting: supporters

Supporters of Iranian graphic designers Aria Kasaei and Elly Naghilou said Iran has held the two artists in prison since they met two French diplomats in Tehran in July, adding a new dispute to a case that has strained relations between Paris and Tehran.

The supporters said Kasaei, 46, and Naghilou, 36, were arrested during a July 19 meeting at Kasaei's home with the French cultural attache and another diplomat to discuss a cultural project. They said the artists have remained in detention and have had no access to an independent lawyer.

The two French diplomats were briefly detained last month over accusations of interference and were later allowed to return home. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described their detention as a “flagrant violation of diplomatic immunity.”

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that France should apologise for the diplomats' actions, which he said violated the Vienna Convention. He said the diplomats would not be allowed to return to Iran.

Iran's intelligence ministry has said an initial investigation showed the diplomats were planning a scheme aimed at exerting influence and engaging in foreign interference. The artists' supporters said that gave a misleading picture of the meeting and that Kasaei and Naghilou were involved only as graphic designers.

The supporters called for any charges against the artists to be made public and for their access to an independent lawyer, safety and rights to be guaranteed. They also urged France to establish the circumstances of the arrests and take steps toward the artists' release. The French foreign ministry made no immediate comment.