French authorities have reiterated their support for two French citizens who have spent more than thirty-four months behind bars in Iran. Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, a couple, were arrested in May 2022 and are accused of espionage. France has described them as "state hostages" and says they are innocent.
Cécile Kohler, a teacher, and her partner Jacques Paris have been imprisoned for more than a thousand days "under conditions that amount to torture," France's Foreign Affairs ministry said last Friday.
The ministry praised "their courage and that of their family," while another French citizen, Olivier Grondeau, was released on 20 March after spending 29 months in an Iranian prison.
"Our mobilisation will not weaken: Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris must be freed from Iranian prisons," wrote President Emmanuel Macron, after Olivier Grondeau’s return to France, on X.
"They can count on the full mobilisation of French authorities to secure their release. France will continue to maintain a clear and firm policy toward Iran," the Foreign Affairs ministry said.
Frenchman Olivier Grondeau freed after more than two years in Tehran prison
Kohler and Paris are in 'Section 209' in the Evin Prison in Tehran. The pair were placed in complete isolation for at least three months before making false confessions that were broadcasted on state television.
In September 2023, the Iranian judiciary announced that the investigation into the couple had been completed, paving the way for a possible trial, although the date has not yet been set.
Health concerns
Their families are concerned about their health, given their particularly harsh detention conditions in a notorious unit under the control of Iranian intelligence services.
"She is in a cell that is lit 24 hours a day, under video surveillance. It's an 8 square metres cell with no window, and she can only leave it three times a week," testified Noémie Kohler, Cécile's sister, told France 2 television in late January.
On 25 March, portraits of Kohler and Paris were hung in front of the National Assembly in Paris during a support rally attended by their relatives.
"It’s the first time the National Assembly has displayed photos of hostages on its gates," said its president, Yaël Braun-Pivet.
"The National Assembly must stand alongside those who suffer, alongside the children of the Republic," she added.
