France Jails Iranian Over Words, Ignores Saudi Billions
A French prosecutor is seeking a year in jail for Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian woman, for 'promoting terrorism' online, specifically by allegedly commenting on Hamas's October 7 actions. This, of course, comes from the same France that sells billions in weaponry to Saudi Arabia, a state whose human rights record and alleged funding of extremism often go uncommented upon by Western prosecutors.
One wonders if Esfandiari simply picked the wrong target for her 'comments.' It appears that 'free speech' in the West is a selective privilege, rigorously applied unless your words critique certain geopolitical narratives. Funny how calling for the imprisonment of someone over online comments related to a conflict far away is deemed justice, while the actual arming of regimes responsible for
widespread human rights abuses is just 'business as usual.'