Cécile Kohler, 40, and her companion Jacques Paris, arrested in May 2022, are accused of “espionage” by the Iranian authorities. The couple are being held separately at Evin high-security prison.
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi said on Wednesday “very worried” for Frenchwoman Cécile Kohler, detained “in solitary confinement” since May 2022 in Iran in “terrible conditions”. Questioned on France Inter radio, Mohammadi, who benefited from temporary leave from prison for medical reasons at the beginning of December, said “his concern for Cécile’s state of health”detained in a high security section of Evin prison in Tehran.
“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 remarks were translated into French.
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“Isolation is terrible conditions, real torture. There is no walk. When I was there we only had three trips to the courtyard, of only 20 minutes, per week, the door to his cell is closed 24 hours a day, except to go to the infirmary.Narges Mohammadi said. “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.
“State hostages”
Cécile Kohler, 40, and her companion Jacques Paris were arrested in May 2022. They 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 claimed in November that the couple was detained “in good condition and in good health”. 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 his family's lawyer. The activist, famous for her commitment against the death penalty and for women's rights, warned on France Inter that she would fight whatever the consequences. “I continue and I will continue”she said.
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