Frenchman Benjamin Briard, who has been detained in Iran since the end of May 2020 in Mashhad prison in northeastern Iran, wrote to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi asking for his release, according to his sister.

The handwritten letter, in Farsi, was handed over to prison guards on Monday morning, his sister Blandine Briar told AFP, who also published a copy of the letter in French.

"I appeal to your dignity to obtain my freedom which I should have regained a month ago after my acquittal, the same freedom which should never have been taken from me," the letter read.

He called on the president to "demonstrate the independence of the Iranian judicial system with deeds rather than words."

And Briar, who confirms that he was in Iran for the purpose of tourism, was arrested in May 2020 for taking pictures of "prohibited areas" in a park by means of a recreational drone.

In his letter, Briar explained that he was imprisoned "unjustly" and acquitted of all charges against him, and that the order for his release was signed by the Revolutionary Court of Appeal in Mashhad on February 15.

Briar believes that the Iranian president is aware of his innocence, as well as his acquittal and his hunger strike, which he began on January 28, and which he will not stop "until" he regains his freedom and all his personal belongings.

"On several occasions, I have been able to read and hear that representatives of the Iranian government say that the judicial system in Iran is completely independent. There are no arbitrary arrests or trials," he continued.

He noted that his case was "evidence to the contrary." He denounces not only his suffering from a "baseless" prison process, but also his harsh conditions of detention accompanied by "psychological violence" and "psychological torture".
After his acquittal, according to Blandin, Benjamin was told to pack his bag but was taken back to a cell about one meter from the exit.