France says Iran has released Cecile Kohler (41) and Jacques Paris (72), who were detained in May 2022 and held at Evin prison. President Macron called their release 'immense relief' and said they were en route to the French embassy while talks continue to secure their return. The pair had been sentenced in a closed trial to 20 and 17 years respectively but were granted conditional release on bail after 1,277 days in detention. Their release has prompted speculation about possible quiet negotiations or a swap involving Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari.
Iran Frees Two French Nationals After More Than Three Years in Evin Prison
France says Iran has released Cecile Kohler (41) and Jacques Paris (72), who were detained in May 2022 and held at Evin prison. President Macron called their release 'immense relief' and said they were en route to the French embassy while talks continue to secure their return. The pair had been sentenced in a closed trial to 20 and 17 years respectively but were granted conditional release on bail after 1,277 days in detention. Their release has prompted speculation about possible quiet negotiations or a swap involving Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari.
12:49, 05.11.2025Conflict
Iran Releases Two French Citizens Held Since 2022
Iran has freed two French nationals who were detained in May 2022 on spying charges their families and lawyers have consistently rejected, French President Emmanuel Macron announced. The pair — Cecile Kohler, 41, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72 — were released from Evin prison in northern Tehran and escorted to the French embassy, Macron said, expressing 'immense relief' at their release and calling it a 'first step' toward their return to France.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said a judge granted them 'conditional release' on bail and that they would remain under surveillance pending further judicial proceedings. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France 2 that the couple were in 'good health' at the ambassador’s residence but gave no timetable for their departure from Iran.
The couple, both teachers (Paris is retired), were arrested while visiting Iran in May 2022. Their Paris-based lawyers described the detention as 'arbitrary' and said the couple had been held for 1,277 days. In a closed-door trial last month they were sentenced to long prison terms — 20 years for Kohler and 17 years for Paris — on charges of spying for France and Israel, charges their families and supporters deny.
Macron wrote on social media that he felt 'immense relief' and that talks are ongoing to secure their return 'as quickly as possible.'
Their health became a particular concern after they were moved from Evin following an Israeli strike on the prison during a broader regional escalation in June. Kohler was also shown on Iranian state television in October 2022 in what rights groups described as a 'forced confession' — a practice activists say amounts to coercion or torture.
France had taken the case to the International Court of Justice, arguing the detentions were part of a policy targeting French citizens visiting Iran. In September the ICJ case was dropped at France's request, prompting speculation that quiet negotiations were under way. Tehran has suggested the two could be released as part of a swap that might include Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari, who was arrested in France in February on charges related to promoting 'terrorism' online and has since been released on bail.
Human rights organizations and some Western governments have accused Iranian authorities of detaining foreign nationals to gain diplomatic leverage. Other dual nationals and foreigners remain detained in Iran, including Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was sentenced to death in 2017 on espionage charges his family rejects.
What happens next
French officials said discussions continue to secure the couple’s departure and return to France. Their legal team and family members welcomed the release but noted that conditional bail and ongoing judicial procedures mean the situation remains fragile until they are safely home.