Iran Frees French Nationals Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris After 3 Years

Iran has released two French nationals, Cecile Kohler, 41, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72, who had been imprisoned for over three years on spying charges, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed. The pair, the last officially known French citizens held in Iran, are now reported to be at the French embassy in Tehran, though their return to France has not yet been finalized.

Expressing “immense relief,” President Macron described their release as a “first step” and said discussions are ongoing to secure their return to France as quickly as possible. Kohler and Paris were arrested in May 2022 during a visit to Iran, which their families insist was purely touristic. Both worked as teachers, with Paris now retired.

The two had been sentenced last month in a closed-door trial to lengthy prison terms – 20 years for Kohler and 17 years for Paris – on charges of spying for France and Israel. French authorities and human rights activists have criticized their detention as arbitrary, part of a broader pattern of using foreign nationals as leverage in international negotiations.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed the pair had been granted “conditional release” on bail and will remain under surveillance until the next stage of judicial proceedings. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated they were in “good health” but did not provide details on when they would leave Iran.

The couple’s legal team in Paris said the release ended their “arbitrary detention which lasted 1,277 days.” Their detention drew international concern, particularly after Kohler appeared on Iranian television in October 2022 in what rights groups described as a “forced confession.” Concerns over their health intensified following an Israeli attack on the Evin prison during the June war.

The release comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Western nations, following the US-Israel 12-day war against Iran in June and the reimposition of UN sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program. Speculation suggests that their release could be part of a swap deal with France, which recently released Iranian Mahdieh Esfandiari, arrested in France on terrorism-related charges.

Among Europeans still imprisoned in Iran is Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, sentenced to death in 2017 on espionage charges, which his family and supporters continue to reject.

The release of Kohler and Paris marks a significant diplomatic development, easing pressure on France-Iran relations while highlighting ongoing concerns about the detention of foreign nationals in Iran.