PARIS, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The French government on Saturday called on Iran to release French academic Clotilde Reiss and an employee of the French Embassy in Tehran.

    "After the appearance of Clotilde Reiss before a court in Tehran, France renews its demand for the immediate liberation of the young academic, since the accusations against her are baseless," said the French Foreign Ministry in a statement.

    It also demanded the release of Nazak Afshar, an employee of the French embassy in Tehran, saying charges against her were "non-existent."

    Afshar is Franco-Iranian, with French nationality.

    In the statement, France also objected to the conditions of that court appearance, saying that it "was not informed in advance or permitted to attend the hearing, in accordance with international rules of consular protection."