Protest Held in Paris Demanding Freedom for French Citizens Imprisoned in Iran

Paris, the capital of France, witnessed a protest on Sunday calling for the release of Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris, two French citizens imprisoned in Iran. This comes as the Islamic Republic recently released Benjamin Brier and Bernard Filan, two other citizens who were on hunger strike. According to AFP, a group of supporters of Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris gathered on Sunday, May 14, near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, demanding the freedom of these two French citizens imprisoned in Iran. The couple was arrested on May 6, 2022, in Iran. Family and friends of the two gathered in Paris after the release of two other French citizens named Benjamin Brier and Bernard Filan from Mashhad prison. Cecile Kohler's sister stated that the release of the two gives them hope. She mentioned that her sister has only received one consular visit during the bitter year since her arrest. She also said, 'She continues, even though it is still very hard; she spent several months in solitary confinement and is now with other prisoners.' Ms. Kohler's sister added, 'We send her books, but she has only received one book since her arrest.' Kohler and Paris are among four French citizens imprisoned in Iran. The French Foreign Ministry has previously referred to them as 'hostages.' Cecile Kohler, a teacher, and her partner Jacques Paris remain imprisoned in Evin prison on charges of espionage. Their families have denied the allegations against them. The fifth individual is Fariba Adelkhah, an Iranian-French researcher, who was released from prison in February but seems unable to leave Iran. Western countries have labeled the imprisonment of their citizens by the Islamic Republic as 'political hostage-taking' and have repeatedly urged the regime to end this 'cruel' practice. However, the Islamic Republic continues to detain and imprison Western and dual citizens on charges such as 'acting against national security,' rejecting the views of Western parties without providing any evidence. Currently, several dual citizens are also imprisoned in Iran, including Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, and Emad Sharqi, who are Iranian-Americans, Kamran Ghaderi and Masoud Mosahab, who are Iranian-Austrians, Nahid Taghavi, an Iranian-German citizen, Mehran Raoufi, an Iranian-British citizen, and Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish citizen. This report utilizes information from AFP.