As Cécile Kohler’s 1,000th day of detention in Iran approaches, her sister Noémie, spokesperson for the “Liberty for Cécile” support committee, was received by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee this Wednesday, January 22, 2025. At the beginning of the month, Narges Mohammadi, the winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, detained in the same prison as Cécile Kohler, expressed alarm at the microphone of France Inter about the conditions of detention and the state of health of Cécile Kohler, who was placed in solitary confinement. The Iranian activist will also be heard on Thursday January 23 by the senatorial delegation for women’s rights.
“We’re starting a new year without Cécile. His situation remains absolutely blocked, as does that of Jacques [son compagnon, ndlr]. And they are becoming more and more desperate. They are really starting to doubt whether they will be able to come back one day,” confides Noémie Kohler at the Public Senate microphone. “It is very difficult to have reliable information on Cécile’s state of health because the only contacts she can have with the outside world are very rare, very random contacts. These are WhatsApp videos of around five minutes which take place under very close surveillance. She cannot express herself freely about her state of health or her conditions of detention. On the other hand, we feel, when we read between the lines, that his despair is greater and greater. »
“She sleeps on the floor”
Cécile Kohler and her companion, Jacques Paris, were arrested and imprisoned in May 2022, arbitrarily accused of espionage by the Tehran regime, while they were vacationing in the country. “She is locked in a cell with the lights on 24 hours a day. She has no window, she is monitored 24 hours a day,” says Noémie Kohler. “She can only go out three times a week for very short outings, 20 to 30 minutes in a yard. She sleeps on the floor. She does everything on the floor. She doesn’t have anything to write with, she doesn’t receive our books. These are truly extreme conditions that make us truly fear the worst for his health. »
At this stage, her relatives are not kept informed by the government on the content of the negotiations implemented by France with Tehran to obtain the release of this teacher. “The question that arises is whether it is positive or negative for the hostages to communicate about their situation. Now many people think that after 1,000 days of detention, we have to go! », Explains Senator LR Cédric Perrin, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
-In mid-January, Frenchman Olivier Grondeau, 34, detained in Iran for more than two years, chose to reveal his identity for the first time in a message broadcast by those close to him. “There was diplomatic time, during which we let it happen, and nothing happened. Now it’s media time,” his mother explained on France Inter.
A European initiative
This Thursday, the European Parliament will debate the adoption of a resolution demanding the release of all hostages held by the Mullahs’ regime. “There are around fifteen European hostages currently in Iran. We are convinced that greater cooperation between Member States on the hostage issue would be welcome, and necessary given the urgency of the situation of the three French hostages,” concludes Noémie Kohler.
