France Calls Conditions of Three Hostages in Iran 'Unacceptable'

On Thursday, October 18, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the conditions of three of its citizens detained and imprisoned by the Islamic Republic of Iran as 'unacceptable' and stated that the government would continue its efforts for their immediate release. Pascal Canfin, deputy spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement that Jean-Noël Barrot, the country's foreign minister, met with the families of the three French citizens in Iran and stated that they have been taken 'hostage' by the Iranian government. In recent years, the Islamic Republic has detained dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, primarily on charges of espionage and security. Human rights organizations say that the Islamic Republic of Iran detains foreign citizens, especially dual nationals, on baseless charges and uses them as political bargaining chips, effectively taking them hostage. The Islamic Republic, which does not recognize dual citizenship in its laws, denies taking dual nationals hostage for diplomatic leverage. The two imprisoned French citizens in Iran are Cecile Kohler, a French literature teacher, and her partner, Jacques Paris, a retired mathematics teacher, who were arrested on May 6, 2022, after meeting with several labor activists and teachers in Tehran and were accused of 'espionage.' According to Amnesty International, Cecile Kohler spent the first three months of her detention in solitary confinement, and the Islamic Republic's state television broadcast her forced confessions as part of a propaganda campaign. This international organization recently emphasized in a statement, citing multiple pieces of evidence, that the Islamic Republic has taken Cecile Kohler, the imprisoned French teacher and citizen, hostage since May 2022 to 'force French officials to take specific actions.' Another French citizen is also imprisoned in Iran, referred to by French officials as 'Olivier.' Amnesty International has called for the 'immediate release' of Cecile Kohler, the imprisoned French citizen in Iran. Human rights activists have filed a complaint against Bashir Bi-Azar, the former head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, who was arrested in France. The committee for Cecile Kohler's freedom noted that 600 days have passed since her detention in Iran. France has warned that the expansion of war in the region will place a heavy responsibility on Iran. In a conversation with her father after two years, Ghazaleh Sharmeh stated that her father was unaware of the Mahsa revolution and his sentence. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democratic representative, stated that all American hostages in Iran must be freed. A Democratic member of Congress suggested that Joe Biden appoint a special representative for hostages in Iran. The committee supporting Fariba Adelkhah has called for her to be allowed to return to France. A rally was held in Paris demanding the release of French citizens imprisoned in Iran.