France says two citizens, Cécile Kohler (41) and Jacques Paris (72), have been conditionally released from Iran’s Evin prison after more than three years in detention. They were granted bail and placed under surveillance while judicial proceedings continue, and are currently at the French embassy. French officials called the move a “first step” and said diplomacy is ongoing to secure their return; it remains unclear whether a prisoner swap was involved. Their detention and earlier televised appearance by Kohler raised international concern about Iran’s treatment of foreign detainees.
France: Two Citizens Freed from Iran After 3-Year Ordeal — Diplomacy Seeks Their Return
France says two citizens, Cécile Kohler (41) and Jacques Paris (72), have been conditionally released from Iran’s Evin prison after more than three years in detention. They were granted bail and placed under surveillance while judicial proceedings continue, and are currently at the French embassy. French officials called the move a “first step” and said diplomacy is ongoing to secure their return; it remains unclear whether a prisoner swap was involved. Their detention and earlier televised appearance by Kohler raised international concern about Iran’s treatment of foreign detainees.
02:40, 05.11.2025Politics
France announced the conditional release of two of its citizens who had been detained in Iran for more than three years, raising hopes for their prompt return while leaving questions about the final outcome.
What happened
French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that Cécile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, had been released from Evin prison in northern Tehran and were on their way to the French embassy. The couple were arrested in May 2022 at the end of what their families describe as a purely tourist trip to Iran.
Legal status and health
Iranian authorities told reporters the pair were granted conditional release on bail and would be placed under surveillance while judicial proceedings continue. French officials said Kohler and Paris were in good health at the French ambassador's residence, though they did not specify when Tehran would allow them to leave the country.
Sentences and allegations
Last month, after a closed-door trial, Iranian authorities reportedly sentenced Paris to 17 years and Kohler to 20 years on espionage charges. Their families and lawyers have consistently rejected those allegations and described the detention as arbitrary. Kohler appeared on Iranian state television in October 2022 in what rights groups and activists called a coerced or "forced" confession.
Diplomatic efforts
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the release a "first step" and said France would continue all efforts to secure their definitive return. France previously brought a case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague alleging a policy of detaining French nationals, but requested the case be dropped in September — a move that prompted speculation about parallel diplomatic talks.
Possible swap and wider context
Tehran has suggested in the past that foreign detainees could be part of exchange deals. Iranian authorities indicated the pair might be freed as part of a potential swap that could include Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian arrested in France on charges related to promoting terrorism on social media; she was recently released on bail pending a January trial. French officials have not confirmed any formal swap.
Broader concerns
Rights groups and some Western governments describe a pattern of detaining foreigners in Iran to obtain political leverage. The couple were among the last French nationals publicly known to be held in Iran; other detainees include Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was sentenced to death in 2017 on espionage charges his family rejects.
French lawyers said the release ended an "arbitrary detention" that lasted 1,277 days. Macron described his reaction as one of "immense relief." Officials emphasized that further diplomatic work is underway to secure the couple's return home as quickly as possible.
What to watch next: whether Tehran formally permits the pair to depart, whether any prisoner-swap details emerge, and the status of other foreign nationals still detained in Iran.