The situation of Cécile Kohler and her companion Jacques Paris “remains absolutely blocked” after two and a half years of detention in Iran, and the two French people are “increasingly desperate”, Cécile’s sister Noémie told journalists on Wednesday. Kohler.
“They are really starting to doubt whether they will be able to come back one day, so it’s more and more difficult,” lamented the young woman after meeting senators from the Foreign Affairs Commission in Paris.
“We are starting a new year without Cécile”, who will pass the milestone of 1,000 days of detention on January 30, recalled Noémie Kohler, once again highlighting the “destructive” conditions of detention of her sister, in solitary confinement in the prison. from Evin to Tehran.
Ms Kohler welcomed the fact that the head of French diplomacy Jean-Noël Barrot recently denounced the “torture” suffered by French detainees, whom Paris describes as “state hostages”.
“This hardening of your tone is very important. It’s true that it’s coming a little late, in any case we’ve been waiting for it for a long time. We really hope that it can bear fruit,” said Ms. Kohler.
She also welcomed the recent releases of an Italian journalist and a German-Iranian women’s rights activist: “it’s a huge relief to see that hostages are released, it reminds us that it is possible “.
But while an Iranian was released by Rome shortly after the release of the Italian hostage, “in our case we do not know at all what the Iranian authorities want”, she stressed.
-Cécile Kohler, 40, a modern literature teacher, and her partner Jacques Paris, a former mathematics teacher, were arrested in May 2022 during a trip to Iran and are accused of “espionage” by the Iranian authorities.
A third Frenchman, Olivier Grondeau, has also been detained in Iran since 2022.
Around fifteen Europeans are currently detained in Iran.
“We are convinced that greater cooperation between European states on the issue of hostages in Iran would be necessary,” Ms Kohler further declared.
“They’re really starting to doubt whether they’ll ever come back, so it’s more…
