After 1,277 days in detention, French citizens Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris have been freed by Iran. France vows to seek justice.
After more than three years in captivity, French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris have finally been released by Iran, ending one of the most tense diplomatic standoffs between the two countries in recent years.
French President Macron announced the news on social media: “Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris have been released from Evin Prison. Dialogue continues to facilitate their return to France as soon as possible.”
Après 1 277 jours de détention, Cécile Kohler et Jacques Paris sont enfin en sécurité auprès de @FranceenIran.
— France Diplomatie 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo) November 5, 2025
Cette avancée est le résultat d’une mobilisation collective, et nous restons pleinement engagés pour obtenir leur retour auprès de leurs proches.
On vous explique 👇 pic.twitter.com/tfuWmq7PCK
Both were arrested in May 2022 during a tourist visit and had recently been sentenced to 20 and 17 years in prison for alleged espionage. From the start, they denied any connection to foreign intelligence services.
They are now safe at the French ambassador’s residence in Tehran, awaiting repatriation. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that “a team is in direct contact with them and their families” and that their return to France is expected “within days.”
Their lawyers—Martin Pradel, Chirinne Ardakani, Emma Villard, and Karine Rivoallan—welcomed the end of what they called an “arbitrary detention” and pledged to pursue justice for the human rights violations endured by their clients.
“We will ensure that justice is done for Cécile and Jacques, whose rights were violated daily since May 7, 2022,” they said in a statement.
Throughout their 1,277-day detention, the French Foreign Ministry repeatedly denounced the “inhuman” conditions of their imprisonment, describing them as tantamount to torture.
France even filed a complaint against the Islamic Republic of Iran before the International Court of Justice for violations of consular protection rights.
On September 11, Iran had publicly hinted at a possible prisoner swap: the release of the two French citizens in exchange for Iranian student Mahdieh Esfandiari, detained in Lyon for posting anti-Israeli messages and charged with “advocating terrorism.” That exchange now appears to have taken place.
Kohler, a 41-year-old literature teacher, and Paris, a 72-year-old retired professor, were initially imprisoned in the notorious Section 209 of Evin Prison—reserved for political detainees—before being moved to an undisclosed location during the 2024 conflict between Israel and Iran.
Their case sparked broad mobilization across France, with regular rallies at Paris’s Panthéon Square and the support of human rights organizations. Behind the scenes, France’s external intelligence agency DGSE worked tirelessly to secure their freedom.
Kohler and Paris were the last French nationals officially held in Iran, following the 2023 releases of academic Fariba Adelkhah, Benjamin Brière, Bernard Phelan, and, last month, Franco-German cyclist Lennart Monterlos.
The French Foreign Ministry hailed the outcome as proof that “persistent dialogue and diplomatic pressure can yield results, even in the most complex situations.” Macron expressed his “immense relief” and vowed to continue “working for the safe return of all French citizens unjustly detained abroad.”
