PARIS, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A French court delayed until March a parole hearing for an Iranian national serving a life sentence for the murder of a former Iranian prime minister.
Court officials said the parole hearing for Ali Vakili Rad, who is serving his sentence in a Paris prison for the death of Chapour Bakhtiar, will be March 9, Radio France Internationale reported Wednesday.
During his trial in 1994, Vakili Rad admitted he was among several people sent to France by the Iranian government to kill Bakhtiar. The other suspects never were caught.
Vakili Rad was sentenced to life in prison and is eligible for parole. If parole is granted, he would be deported to Iran.
Observers said his case has taken a diplomatic turn because of the trial in Tehran of French national Clotilde Reiss, a researcher working in Iran accused of spying by the Iranian government, the French broadcaster said. It has been suggested that Iran had proposed an exchange of Vakili Rad for Reiss.
