France demands Iran frees arrested academic

France called on Monday for the immediate release of a young French academic arrested last week in Iran for espionage as she prepared to board an aircraft and return home.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said 23-year-old Clotilde Reiss had been working for five months as a teaching assistant at the University of Isfahan and dismissed the accusation of espionage as "absurd."

The woman is said to have attended protests in Isfahan after the disputed June 12 election in which hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected, a French diplomatic source said.

The spy charge is linked to a private email she sent to a friend in Tehran discussing the situation in Isfahan, the diplomatic source said.

Kouchner said the charges were related to "the sending of pictures taken by mobile telephone."

"I think that's what it's about. That's not espionage, it cannot be. This accusation is absurd," he said.

"She took part in demonstrations which, as you know, attracted hundreds of thousands of Iranians and like most of them, she took photographs in all innocence. That's what she's accused of," Kouchner told France Info radio.

"I think it's an accusation which doesn't hold up."

She took part in demonstrations which, as you know, attracted hundreds of thousands of Iranians and like most of them, she took photographs in all innocence. That's what she's accused of

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner

Rising tension

Tension between Tehran and western countries including France has risen sharply since last month's disputed Iranian presidential election.

Earlier Kouchner's department issued a statement formally demanding the release of the woman, who was arrested on July 1.

"We worked quietly at first. It's now five days ago that she was arrested and now I'm formally calling on the Iranian authorities to release her," he said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy strongly criticized the government in Tehran on Monday, saying the Iranian people "deserve better than the leaders they have today."

Kouchner said the detention of the academic should be kept in perspective. "I think it's absolutely necessary that this young woman is released and we are not going to make a big issue between two countries out of this."

"I don't think the Iranian authorities can think for a second that what is happening in their streets -- the opposition to a government -- can be settled by arresting innocent people. An innocent French person what's more."

"France has informed its European partners about his subject and appeals for the solidarity of all Europeans."

The announcement came as the 27-nation European Union mulls a response to Iran's arrest of several local British embassy staff members in Tehran.

I don't think the Iranian authorities can think for a second that what is happening in their streets -- the opposition to a government -- can be settled by arresting innocent people

Kouchner