Latest news with #Monterlos
DW
11-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Iran confirms arrest of missing Franco-German cyclist – DW – 07/11/2025
Iran says it detained an 18-year-old Franco-German tourist who was on a bicycle tour of the world for an unspecified crime. Berlin and Paris have warned of politically motivated detentions, urging citizens to stay away. Iranian authorities have confirmed that a teenage Franco-German bicycle tourist who vanished in Iran in mid-June has been arrested. Both France and Germany have repeatedly criticized Iran for arresting and detaining European citizens on what they say are politically motivated or dubious charges. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi told French newspaper that the young man was "detained for committing a crime," without providing details of the alleged offense. He said the French embassy had been informed and that the French charge d'affaires visited the detainee, identified as 18-year-old Lennart Monterlos. Araghtschi said Monterlos's case would now proceed "in accordance with Iranian law." French media had previously reported the disappearance of Monterlos, who was on a round-the-world cycling trip when contact with him was lost. It was confirmed last Sunday by French diplomatic sources According to a search appeal posted on Instagram, Monterlos's family last heard from him on June 16. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called on Tehran not to "persecute the innocent who are sometimes unaware of the risks they face." Speaking to French broadcaster LCI, he added: "We are not talking further about it to not create difficulty for or imperil the outcome of this affair." France advises its citizens against traveling to Iran, accusing Tehran of "hostage diplomacy." Western nations suspect Iran of detaining their citizens as bargaining chips for concessions, especially on its nuclear program and the lifting of economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Bayrou reiterated the government's travel warning in a TV interview, urging all French citizens not to visit Iran and to respect official guidance — which Monterlos, he said, had "mocked." Iran is holding two other French nationals, academics Cecile Kohler, 40, and Jacques Paris, 72, on charges of spying for Israel. The pair, who could face the death penalty, were arrested on May 7, 2022, at the end of a holiday in Iran. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Iran could face "retaliation measures" if the two are not released. The German Foreign Office in Berlin also warns against traveling to Iran and urges any Germans still in the country to leave. In particular, the Foreign Office warns in its security guidance of the "clear risk of arbitrary arrest, interrogation, and lengthy prison sentences." In late June, Iran acknowledged on Saturday that another German cyclist had been detained and held for more than a year. The individual was held on allegations of spying. Earlier this year, Iran released German-Iranian women's rights activist Nahid Taghavi, who was imprisoned for over four years of a 10-year sentence for "propaganda against the state." Taghavi, who lived in the German city of Cologne, was a vocal advocate of democratic and, particularly, women's rights in Iran. She was detained while visiting Iran in 2020.
Euronews
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Iran detains Franco-German cycling tourist Lennart Monterlos
Lennart Monterlos, an 18-year-old Franco-German dual national who was cycling from Europe to Japan, has been detained in Iran, Tehran authorities confirmed on Thursday. In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the young man had been "detained for committing an offence," without disclosing further details. He added that the country's French embassy had been officially notified of the detention of the French citizen, who is from the eastern French city of Besançon. Pressed on the issue, the French Foreign Ministry stated that it was in contact with Iranian authorities regarding its citizen's condition, as well as with his family. Since 16 June, the young man's family and friends have been without updates from him, after the 18-year-old set off from the town of Varzaneh in central Iran to travel to the desert located east of Isfahan. Until then, Monterlos had been documenting his trip on social media, sharing his last Instagram post on 15 June. "Day 152 of the France-Japan cycling adventure. Today, I'm in Iran and I'm leaving comfort for a crazy adventure in the desert and the heat to discover the sand dunes near Varzaneh," he told his followers. In May, Monterlos declared that he planned to cross Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, telling his followers, "At 18 years old, I am going to cross the world's most dangerous countries (...) am I brave or oblivious?" France urges citizens to respect travel advisory Responding to news of Monterlos' detention, French Prime Minister François Bayrou urged countries "not to persecute innocent people who are sometimes unaware of the risks they face", in an interview with French broadcaster LCI on Thursday evening. Despite this, Bayrou urged young travellers to respect travel instructions, which he said the young cyclist had "made a mockery of". In a now-deleted social media video, while praising Iran's beauty and local hospitality, Monterlos took a jibe at Western media for supposedly fear-mongering about the dangers of travelling to Iran. The French prime minister added that French authorities would refrain from further commenting on the case, in a bid not to "jeopardise the outcome of the situation". Two other French nationals, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, were charged with "spying for Israel" in early July, after having been detained by Iran for more than three years. French diplomatic sources responded by branding the charges as "totally unfounded". Human rights groups accuse Tehran of carrying out a policy of hostage diplomacy, using Europeans and dual nationals as "bargaining chips" to facilitate its negotiations with the West. According to estimates from NGO Hostage Aid Worldwide, around 15 Europeans and dual nationals from Sweden, France, Switzerland, Cyprus, Germany and the UK are imprisoned in Iran.
Express Tribune
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
French-German teenage cyclist held in Iran
Screengrab taken from an Instagram post on June 24, 2025, shows Lennart Monterlos, who was arrested in Iran. Photo AFP Iran has detained a Franco-German national on a Europe-to-Asia cycle trip who disappeared in the country on June 16, Iran's foreign minister told Le Monde newspaper on Thursday. The French foreign ministry, which has accused Iran of pursuing a deliberate policy of detaining foreigners to use as bargaining chips, had previously expressed concern over the fate of Lennart Monterlos. France and a number of other countries have urged their nationals not to go to Iran because of the risk of detention. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Le Monde that an "official notification" about Monterlos had been sent to the French embassy in Tehran. He said Monterlos "has been arrested for committing an offence". French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou urged Iran to not "persecute the innocent who are sometimes unaware of the risks they face" in an interview with broadcaster LCI. The French foreign ministry told AFP it was in contact with Iranian authorities about the case and was also speaking with the teenager's family.
