Supporters of three French nationals imprisoned in Iran, Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris and Louis Arnaud, appealed to the UN in Geneva on Monday in an attempt to put pressure on Tehran and raise awareness about the their plight.
Noémie Kohler, the sister of Cécile, who has been detained for over two years along with her partner Jacques Paris, hopes to draw international attention "to the situation of our loved ones, our hostages in Iran," and quicken their release.
"It is an absolute emergency, their health is deteriorating, and it is time for this nightmare to end," Kohler told French press agency AFP, talking in front of the UN headquarters.
"It's very important to us, we really need recognition of their situation, their arbitrary detention, and they must be released as soon as possible," added Sylvie Arnaud, Louis's mother.
Arnaud, a consultant was detained more than a year and a half ago and sentenced in November to five years in prison for "propaganda and endangering Iranian state security." French authorities called the verdict "unacceptable."
Cécile Kohler, a teacher of modern literature, was arrested on 7 May 2022, while traveling in Iran with her partner Jacques Paris, charged with "espionage."
Kohler and Arnaud, along with their lawyers, went to Geneva to appeal to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, a panel of independent experts mandated by the UN Human Rights Council.
"We argue that the detention of Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris, and Louis Arnaud does not meet the criteria (of international conventions adopted by Iran) and therefore should be classified as arbitrary," according to, Martin Pradel, one of the lawyers.
"We are in a hurry because we know prison conditions are extremely harsh," the lawyer said, adding that he hoped for a response from the working group "by summer."
According to the lawyer, an expert opinion will give weight to France's protests.
'Unacceptable situation'
"We want the French President to understand that he needs to get angry and simply say that this situation is unacceptable," added Pradel.
French diplomacy did not mince words on the second anniversary of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris's detention, condemning their detention as "state hostage policy and the permanent blackmail by Iranian authorities."
This accusation was not well received in Tehran, which denounced it as an "interventionist and inappropriate stance."
Another French national, only known by the name "Olivier" is also detained, along with dozens of foreign prisoners, many of whom hold dual nationality.
(with newswires)
