A French Citizen Imprisoned to Be Tried in the Islamic Revolutionary Court

Cécile Kohler, a French trade union activist who has been detained in Iran for nearly 950 days, is set to be tried on Sunday, November 25, in the Islamic Revolutionary Court. Ms. Kohler and her husband, Jacques Paris, have been imprisoned in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, a section overseen by the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic, since their arrest in May 2022. According to the Iranian Teachers' Trade Union Coordination Council, Noëmi Kohler, Cécile Kohler's sister, emphasized that a fair trial is not possible in Iran. Cécile Kohler, a member of the French Workers' Federation of Education and Culture, and her husband Jacques Paris, who traveled to Iran on a tourist visa, were arrested in mid-May 2022 after meeting with several labor and teachers' activists and were subsequently accused of 'espionage.' Many organizations and unions worldwide have condemned the arrest of this French couple and dozens of labor activists and teachers, citing the legality of these meetings under International Labor Organization conventions. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the hostage-taking policy and ongoing extortion by the Islamic Republic, publicly stating that this government has taken Ms. Kohler and other French citizens imprisoned in Iran hostage. Amnesty International, in a statement on June 28, emphasized that the Islamic Republic has taken Cécile Kohler hostage to 'force French officials to take specific actions.' Amnesty International, recalling Cécile Kohler's uncertainty and stressing the need for her release, called on Iranian authorities to protect her from further torture and other ill-treatment and to ensure her access to phone calls with her family, medical services, a chosen lawyer, and consular services. The requests from Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris's family and colleagues for their release from the Islamic Republic's prison continue. Amnesty International has called for the 'immediate release' of Cécile Kohler, a French citizen imprisoned in Iran. The Freedom Committee for Cécile Kohler noted that 600 days have passed since her detention in Iran. Support from members of the 'Grant Est' Council for the imprisoned French teacher in Iran continues.