Irish man ‘held hostage’ in Iran sentenced to 6 ½ years, family say

Irishman Bernard Phelan, who has been detained in Iran since last October, has been sentenced to 6½ years in prison by the authorities there, his family say.

The 64-year-old, who also holds a French passport, is being held on trumped up charges and is “a pawn” in a wider geopolitical game, according to his cousin, Greg O’Corry Crowe.

The Phelan family say they are increasingly concerned for Bernard’s health and that he is being “held hostage” by the Iranian government in conditions which amount to torture. They say his complex health issues are not being treated.

“We worry he will not survive much longer,” said his cousin, Patricia Phelan. “His life is ebbing away.”

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The Phelan family held a press conference on Wednesday to highlight 155 days of Bernard’s detention in the notorious Vakilabad prison and to call on the Government to shelve plans to open an embassy in Tehran.

[ Health of Irishman held in Iran prison ‘declining rapidly’, says sister after first phone call ]

[ Iranians in Ireland concerned over fate of jailed Tipperary man ]

[ ‘I fear I will never see him again’: Irish ‘hostage’ in Iran caught in French diplomatic tangle ]

“What is the point of having an embassy in Iran if Irish citizens cannot travel to the country without fear of arbitrary arrest?” Mr O’Corry-Crowe asked.

The family said that on February 20th, Mr Phelan was brought before a judge in the prison and sentenced to 3½ years for “providing information to an enemy country”, a charge he denies. He was then told he would be granted a pardon on humanitarian grounds.

A week later he was brought back before the court and informed there would be no pardon and that his sentence was now 6 ½ years, Ms Phelan said. She said the family received no further information.

Irish diplomats, along with their French counterparts, have been working to secure Mr Phelan’s release on health grounds. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin told the Dáil he has spoken with his Iranian counterpart about Mr Phelan’s case.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Affairs did not respond to queries about the sentencing or the Phelan family’s calls to abandon plans for an Irish embassy in Tehran.

“The Government is extremely concerned about the case of Irish citizen Bernard Phelan, especially given Mr Phelan’s ill health,” the spokeswoman said, adding that the Government is involved in “extensive engagement” on the matter.

The Iranian embassy did not respond to queries. It previously told The Irish Times it is also working to secure Mr Phelan’s release.

Mr O’Corry-Crowe said the message from the Department of Foreign Affairs has been to “be patient” but that they cannot afford to wait any longer due to Mr Phelan’s deteriorating health. Mr Phelan’s 97-year-old father, Vincent, said he fears he will never see his son again.

Mr Phelan, who is originally from Co Tipperary, was travelling in Iran last October in relation to his work as a tourism consultant. It was his fifth trip to the country as part of work with an Iranian tour operator.

While on research trip to the city of Mashhad, he was taking photos of a historic mosque when he was bundled into a car by masked man and taken to prison, his family say. He was initially kept in solitary confinement and for two weeks his family did not know what had happened. He was then admitted to the prison hospital before being put in a cell with more than 15 other prisoners.

The cell has no glass in the windows and temperatures can drop to near freezing at night, they say. Mr Phelan has significant heart issues and requires aftercare for surgery carried out on his eyes shortly before his arrest. Without treatment he may go blind, his family say.

Ms Phelan said the family managed to persuade Bernard to call off a recent hunger and thirst strike but they are terrified he will start again. “He is in a very dark place. He has little for no hope for his future,” she said.