Iran claims French couple imprisoned since 2022 'in good health'

RFI

5 November 2024 at 10:43 am·1-min read

A man holds a portrait of French teacher Cecile Kohler during a protest in Paris, on 28 January, 2023.

Two French citizens detained in Iran since May 2022 are reportedly in good health and being held in good detention conditions, according to Iran, denying recent claims their condition was worsening.

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told reporters in Tehran on Tuesday: "The two are... in good health, so any claim regarding their poor condition is denied," citing a report from the authorities.

The spokesperson was referring to French couple Cecile Koehler and Jacques Paris, who were arrested on charges of espionage and will have their next court hearing on 24 November.

In October 2022, Iran's state television aired what it called "espionage confessions" by the two detainees.

The French government condemned the broadcast as "shameful, revolting and unacceptable", labelling the pair as "state hostages".

Family members of French nationals imprisoned in Iran appeal to the UN

Last month, dozens of people protested in Paris over what Kohler's sister, Noemi Kohler, described as the couple's "alarming" physical and psychological condition.

In an interview, Noemi Kohler said the couple – who are being held in the high-security Evin prison outside the capital – were "only allowed out three times a week that they almost never see the light of day and that they sleep on the floor, without mattresses".

She also alleged their lawyers had never been allowed to visit them.

France pushes for 'immediate release'

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France pushes for 'immediate release'

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