French President Emmanuel Macron has renewed his urgent call for the immediate release of French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been imprisoned in Iran for more than three years on charges of espionage that both deny.
In a post on social media platform X, Macron revealed that he raised the issue directly with Iran’s newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian during a recent phone conversation. “Their inhumane detention is unjust,” he wrote, calling for the couple’s prompt return to France.
Kohler, a 40-year-old literature teacher, and Paris, a retired trade unionist in his 70s, were arrested on May 7, 2022, during a tourist trip to Iran. They have since been held in Section 209 of Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, which is known for housing political prisoners. According to their families, they have endured harsh and degrading conditions.
Macron also used the call to raise concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions amid growing regional tensions. “Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons,” he asserted, urging Tehran to provide “full guarantees” that its nuclear activities are peaceful. He added that France, along with its European partners, would step up diplomatic negotiations with Iran to reduce the risk of broader conflict.
With the recent release of other European detainees, Kohler and Paris remain the last known French citizens held in Iranian custody. The French government has classified them as “state hostages.”
Meanwhile, the European Parliament passed a resolution earlier this week urging the EU’s diplomatic services to take stronger action against Iran for its continued detention of European nationals. Lawmakers called for targeted measures in response to what they described as a pattern of politically motivated imprisonments.
