Questioned on France Inter radio, the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner, who benefited from temporary release from prison for medical reasons at the beginning of December, expressed “her concern for the state of health of Cécile”, detained in a high-security section of Evin prison in Tehran.
“A real torture”
“I was able to ask questions of prisoners who spent a few days in cells with her. They say that physically, she is extremely weakened, and I am very worried about her,” declared the 52-year-old activist, whose comments were translated into French.
“Isolation is terrible conditions, real torture. There are no walks, when I was there, we only had three outings in the courtyard, of only twenty minutes, per week, the door to his cell is closed 24 hours a day except to go to the “infirmary,” said Ms. Mohammadi. “Finding yourself three years like her, without being able to move, without being able to get some fresh air, that could be fatal for her. Finding yourself in isolation for so long is inconceivable, unbearable,” she warned.
Narges Mohammadi was granted temporary leave from prison for medical reasons at the beginning of December.
AFP
Cécile Kohler, 40, and her companion Jacques Paris were arrested in May 2022 and are accused of “espionage” by the Iranian authorities. The couple are detained separately at the high-security Evin prison and their families have little news during phone calls that last only a few minutes, according to their relatives. Tehran said in November that the couple was being held “in good conditions and in good health”.
“State hostages”
A third Frenchman, named Olivier but whose last name has not been made public, has also been detained in Iran since 2022. Paris describes these prisoners as “state hostages”.
Narges Mohammadi for her part has not been returned to prison, but her legal status remains uncertain and she is likely to be arrested again “at any time”, according to her family’s lawyer.
