A French couple who spent more than three years in an Iranian prison on espionage charges are on their way home, French President Emmanuel Macron says. Cecile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, were arrested during a tourist trip in May 2022 on spying charges that France said were baseless, and held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. They were freed in November and had been under house arrest at the French embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran, ever since.
This is a relief for all of us and obviously for their families, Macron posted on X on Tuesday. He also thanked Oman for their mediation efforts. A French foreign ministry source told the AFP news agency that the couple left Iran at dawn Tuesday in a diplomatic convoy with the French ambassador and had traveled to neighboring Azerbaijan. France's foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, has not given details of the couple's movements but said they were free at last and that he had spoken to them by phone.
They told me of their emotion and joy at soon being reunited with their country and their loved ones, he wrote on X. Paris's daughter, Anne-Laure Paris, expressed her anticipation for their return, saying: We are waiting for their return to France so we can give them a big hug.
In October, an Iranian court sentenced Paris to 17 years and Kohler 20 years for allegedly spying for France and Israel. They were released after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that a deal to exchange French detainees for an Iranian woman, Mahdieh Esfandiari, was nearly complete. Iran mentioned that Kohler and Paris could be released as part of this agreement, though the French government did not confirm the existence of such an arrangement.
Esfandiari was convicted in February for glorifying terrorism in social media posts, and her lawyer announced that her client's house arrest in France ended following Kohler and Paris's departure from Iran. The Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that the couple's release was part of an agreement between France and Iran, alongside the full release of Esfandiari.
The French government remained tight-lipped about the terms but Barrot acknowledged the long-term work that foreign ministry teams undertook to achieve this result. He expressed gratitude to the French ambassador and staff in Tehran who ensured the safety of the citizens and their departure under difficult conditions.
The couple's release arrives amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East, which began in late February with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, leading Tehran to retaliate against Israel and its allies. While France and other European countries have expressed support for some US operations in the region, they have tried to avoid being drawn deeper into the conflict.
This is a relief for all of us and obviously for their families, Macron posted on X on Tuesday. He also thanked Oman for their mediation efforts. A French foreign ministry source told the AFP news agency that the couple left Iran at dawn Tuesday in a diplomatic convoy with the French ambassador and had traveled to neighboring Azerbaijan. France's foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, has not given details of the couple's movements but said they were free at last and that he had spoken to them by phone.
They told me of their emotion and joy at soon being reunited with their country and their loved ones, he wrote on X. Paris's daughter, Anne-Laure Paris, expressed her anticipation for their return, saying: We are waiting for their return to France so we can give them a big hug.
In October, an Iranian court sentenced Paris to 17 years and Kohler 20 years for allegedly spying for France and Israel. They were released after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that a deal to exchange French detainees for an Iranian woman, Mahdieh Esfandiari, was nearly complete. Iran mentioned that Kohler and Paris could be released as part of this agreement, though the French government did not confirm the existence of such an arrangement.
Esfandiari was convicted in February for glorifying terrorism in social media posts, and her lawyer announced that her client's house arrest in France ended following Kohler and Paris's departure from Iran. The Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that the couple's release was part of an agreement between France and Iran, alongside the full release of Esfandiari.
The French government remained tight-lipped about the terms but Barrot acknowledged the long-term work that foreign ministry teams undertook to achieve this result. He expressed gratitude to the French ambassador and staff in Tehran who ensured the safety of the citizens and their departure under difficult conditions.
The couple's release arrives amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East, which began in late February with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, leading Tehran to retaliate against Israel and its allies. While France and other European countries have expressed support for some US operations in the region, they have tried to avoid being drawn deeper into the conflict.
