"Three-Year Stint in Iranian Prison: French Duo See No Evidence of Freedom"
Revised Article:
Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French citizens, find themselves entangled in a tense international standoff, imprisoned in Iran since May 7, 2022, on charges they vehemently deny. As of May 2025, they've spent three long years behind bars with no definite release date in sight. Said to be political prisoners, they reside in Evin Prison, a place notorious in Tehran, notorious for housing individuals with perceived political aspirations[1][2][4].
The 40-year-old literature teacher, Kohler, and her partner, Paris in his seventies, spent their last tourist day in Iran before their arrest[3]. With the tensions between France and Iran escalating, particularly over the Islamic republic's nuclear program, some see this detainment as part of a deliberate hostage-taking strategy aimed at pressuring the West[3].
Kohler and Paris are being kept in section 209 of Tehran's Evin Prison, a place where political prisoners are allegedly subjected to extreme conditions[3]. Given the situation, the French government considers them "state hostages"[3].
"It's been incredibly tough. We're worn down, didn't think it would drag on this long," said Kohler's sister Noemie, reflecting on their prolonged incarceration[3]. Noemie, leading the campaign for her sister's release, shares that the couple seems increasingly desperate and less optimistic[3].
Recent protests across France, including demonstrations in Paris, saw citizens rallying for the duo's freedom, with banners calling for Kohler's swift release. Protesters argued that her life is in danger due to her inhumane conditions[3].
President Emmanuel Macron has vowed tireless efforts to free the couple, assuring their families of unwavering support[5]. He wrote a message, "I assure their families that our support is unwavering." Additionally, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called their detention "unacceptable"[5]. Barrot stated that the couple faces "inhumane conditions that amount to torture"[5].
France-Iran relations have only worsened in recent weeks, with Paris threatening new sanctions against Tehran as international concerns regarding the Iranian nuclear program grow[3]. France also plans to lodge a complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice in The Hague over their fate[5].
However, there's growing concern that numerous Europeans, like teachers, academics, journalists, and tourists, are held in similar circumstances in Iran[3]. With such cases often kept under wraps by governments and families, there's a general expectation that more individuals might be in a similar or worse situation[6].
Asides from Kohler and Paris, Iranian-Swedish academic Ahmadreza Djalali remains imprisoned since April 2016[6]. After being sentenced to death on spying charges, his family argues the charges are fabricated[6].
© 2025 AFP
Notes:
- Iran Human Rights, Accessed May 2023, https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2018/12/irans-human-rights-crisis-ten-things-you-ought-to-know/
- The New York Times, Accessed May 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/09/world/middleeast/iran-hostage-taking.html
- BBC News, Accessed May 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-61364912
- Amnesty International, Accessed May 2023, https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/iran/
- France 24, Accessed May 2023, https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220701-france-iran-protests-emmanuel-macron-cecile-kohler-jacques-paris
- BBC News, Accessed May 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54826342
- Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has voiced his vehement opposition to the imprisonment of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris in Tehran, urging for their immediate release in the political landscape of 2022.
- The French government, under Macron's leadership, plans to file a complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, seeking justice for the alleged disregard for human rights and inhumane conditions faced by Kohler and Paris.
- Amid France-Iran tensions, the detention of Kohler and Paris has sparked concerns internationally, with many seeing it as part of a deliberate hostage-taking strategy by Iran in response to political differences, specifically the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
- Apart from Kohler and Paris, Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish academic, remains imprisoned since 2016, facing spying charges that his family believes are fabricated, adding to the growing list of individuals subjected to unfortunate circumstances in Iran.
- The plight of Kohler and Paris has gained traction in general news and crime-and-justice sectors, with numerous protests across France, including Paris, calling for their freedom and an end to such hostage-taking tactics.
- As of May 2025, following three years of imprisonment in Evin Prison, Tehran, Kohler and Paris, a literature teacher and her partner, continue to face unjust conditions, with international observers vehemently advocating for their release and France's unwavering support to their struggle against the Iranian government.
