This Wednesday, May 7, 2025, Poitiers joined the forty of French cities mobilized to demand the release of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, detained in Iran for three years. In front of the town hall, around forty people answered the call launched by members of the “Liberty for Cécile” committee. This is the first public action of this type organized in the city.
“In this situation of compatriots retained in hostages in Iran, we do not always know how to mobilize,” explains Gilles Morin, one of the organizers. It was the committee that told us that we had to highlight public mobilization in favor of Cécile and Jacques. »»
-Three years of detention in Iran
According to the New Republic, Cécile Kohler, professor of letters in the Paris region, and Jacques Paris, teacher of retired mathematics, were arrested while making a tourist trip to Iran. Accused of spying by the Iranian authorities, they are imprisoned in Evin prison, located near Tehran.
Since their arrest, their conditions of detention have been denounced as extremely hard, with only three outings authorized per week and four contacts with the outside in three years.
Elected officials present to support prisoners
The mayor of Poitiers, Léonore Moncond’Huy, was present on the scene, just like the deputy Sacha Houlié. “Solidarity with all French hostages in the world,” said the elected official. The parliamentarian, for his part, underlined the recent signals from the government, which he considers encouraging: “The Minister of Education has displayed their portraits to the ministry’s grids this morning and the Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated the intention of the French State to seize the International Court of Justice. »»
