Iranian man slams state of French jails

An Iranian man released by French authorities after spending 16 years in a Paris jail has harshly criticized the conditions under which prisoners are held in France.

Ali Vakili-Rad, who returned back to Tehran late Tuesday, told a Press TV correspondent at the airport that he believed the West failed to practice what it preached.

“As a foreigner, I could not even imagine that the situation in prisons could be this bad. I can swear to God that there is a great deal of difference between what they say and what they do,” he added.

Vakili-Rad said that he would disclose more details about his time in France in future interviews.

Vakili-Rad came back to Iran after a Paris court ordered his release. The Iranian engineer was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of killing Shapour Bakhtiar — Iran’s last prime minister before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The court released Vakili-Rad on parole after the French interior minister signed his deportation order.