Irish father of man in Iranian prison calls for son’s release

Dual Irish-French national Bernard Phelan 'didn’t do anything wrong', his elderly father says

Bernard Phelan. Family handout / AFP

The father of dual Irish-French national Bernard Phelan, who has been held in an Iranian prison since last October, plans to hand in a petition to the Iranian embassy in Dublin on Thursday.

Mr Phelan, 64, was detained in the Iranian city of Mashhad, despite his father saying he had done nothing wrong and was now seriously ill in prison.

Originally from County Tipperary, Mr Phelan was jailed during protests, which have sent millions of people on to the streets since the death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, 22, in police custody.

Mr Phelan was sentenced to six and a half years in prison by authorities this month, his family have said.

He works for an Iranian tour operator, lives in France and was travelling on a French passport at the time.

His sister, Caroline Masse-Phelan, said her family intended to hold a vigil outside the Iranian embassy on Thursday because of growing concern about his “fragile” condition.

His father, Vincent Phelan, 97, said on a YouTube video that he thought about his son from the minute he opened his eyes every morning.

“I have lost one son and I have only one left — Bernard," he said. "For the next few years — I don’t know how long I am going to live. Who does?

"But I rely on Bernard to help me. He was hoping to get home soon. I hope the government are putting pressure on the Iranians.

“I can’t understand why they put Bernard in to prison. Bernard didn’t do anything wrong. I miss him a lot and I’ll miss him more every day. I am relying on him to look after me.”

Mr Phelan has only been allowed to have an eight-minute phone call with his father since he went in to prison, his family said.

In recent weeks, he has also had two phone conversations with Ms Masse-Phelan.

When Mr Phelan was arrested during an educational visit to Iran last October, he was working as a consultant for an Iranian tour operator.

Since 2017 he had travelled back and forth once a year to Iran and was promoting the country as a tourist destination.

He was stopped for taking a photograph of a mosque in Mashhad while he was with the chief executive of an Iranian tour operator.

Mr Phelan has strongly denied a charge of helping to incite propaganda against the Tehran government.

“When he travelled he had no idea that these protests would escalate and that his life would be in danger,” Ms Masse-Phelan told RTE Radio 1 on Saturday.

“He was hauled off to the street and into a van, and taken away.

“He is not alone at being one of these hostages being kept in Iran as some sort of pawns in a political game going on in the country. “He was in the wrong place on the wrong time.”

She said the family feared for the health of Mr Phelan, who has a heart condition, chronic bone inflammation, and is going blind.

“He is extremely fragile," Ms Masse-Phelan said. "His physical health is declining rapidly.

“He has several health issues, cardiac and bone issues.

“But also he is going blind because he had an operation last summer, which was fine and went well, but it hasn’t been treated so he can’t see very far any more.

“He is very concerned that that won’t be repairable when he comes home.”

She said that only limited medical care was provided in the centre where Mr Phelan is being detained.

“He is just very afraid," she said. "He is also extremely depressed because of the length of time he has been in there.

“He just doesn’t see a way out. He understands that the [Irish] government is in close contact with the Iranians, but he doesn’t see the fruits of that.”

Ms Masse-Phelan said her brother also had concerns about his safety in the Vakilabad prison.

“He knows we are talking to the media but he doesn’t see any fruit to that," she said.

“He regularly tells us that he doesn’t know how long he can hold on. He was on hunger strike in January.

“He went on a thirst strike, which put the fear of God in to us. We convinced him to eat again.

"He needs to be let out on humanitarian grounds.”

Ms Masse-Phelan said her brother sent his family “courageous, cheery” letters.

The family said they were hoping that the vigil this week would lead to a breakthrough in the case.

“Bernard’s family and friends will be meeting outside the embassy on March 30," Ms Masse-Phelan said.

“We will be calling on the Iranian authorities to focus on Bernard and to understand that this person shouldn’t be in Iran and should be released.

“Bernard loved the country and was only doing his best for that country. He was trying to help business there. He loved the Iranian people.

“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why would they keep someone like that?”

She said her father planned to attend the vigil for a short time.

“He will join us," Ms Masse-Phelan said. "He wants to do something to help his son.

“So this is a way with his family and friends to do something, and to take action.

“We have created a petition where we hope we will arrive by 5,000 signatures by next week and then Daddy can present it to the Iranian embassy on the 30th.”