Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris

Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris

French Trade Union Official and Her Partner

Biography

Cécile Kohler is a French national and educator who heads the National Federation of Education, Culture and Vocational Training (FNEC FP-FO), reportedly the largest federation of teachers’ unions in France. Jacques Paris is her partner.

Arrest

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security announced on May 11, 2022, that it had arrested two Europeans for “promoting unrest and instigating chaos,” in the words of the Iran International news service. The ministry claimed the two had entered Iran in order to exploit ongoing protests to undermine Iranian society and had met with the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, which has organized numerous demonstrations.

On May 12, a French trade union stated that the two detainees as Kohler and her unnamed husband and said they had traveled to Iran as tourists for Easter. Iran International reported that the two had arrived in Tehran on April 29, stayed two days, and then visited the cities of Kashan and Esfahan before being arrested during their return to Paris on May 8.

Iranian state television broadcast more particulars on May 17, identifying both Kohler and Paris by name and claiming “the two spies intended to foment unrest in Iran by organizing trade union protests.” The broadcast said the two “took part in anti-government protests and met members of the so-called Teachers' Association,” displaying footage of the detainees meeting with demonstrating Iranian teachers and participating in demonstrations. A recording of the arrest was also shown.

Status of Case

In September 2023, the Iranian judiciary announced that the investigation of Kohler and Paris had concluded and that the case had been referred to a court, but did not reveal whether and when the two would go on trial.

When Kohler spoke with relatives on May 28, 2025, she told them that a judge had been warning her for months that a verdict would be announced soon in their case and that it would be “very severe.”

Kohler and Paris were charged with espionage for Israel, “conspiracy to overthrow the regime,” and “corruption on earth,” according to a July 2025 Agence France-Presse report that noted that “All three charges carry the death penalty.”  

In October 2025, progress appeared to be made toward Kohler’s and Paris’s release in exchange for the release Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian woman arrested in France for promoting terrorism in social media posts.  An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said on October 6, 2025, that “The decision regarding the release of these two individuals [Kohler and Paris] and Ms Esfandiari is being reviewed by the relevant authorities. We hope that, once the necessary procedures are completed, this will happen soon.” The spokesperson added, “We believe that the detention of the Iranian national in France was unlawful,” Baqaei said, contrasting her case with that of the French couple, who “face clearly defined charges.”

Coerced “Confession”

On October 6, 2022, Iranian state television aired a video in which Kohler and Paris confessed to espionage. “I am Cécile Kohler,” she said. “I am an intelligence and operations agent at the DGSE [France’s Directorate General for External Security] . . . We were in Iran to prepare the ground for the revolution and the overthrow of the regime of Islamic Iran.” Paris stated that “[o]ur goal at the French security service is to pressure the government of Iran.” The network reported that Kohler and Paris had entered the country with “chunks of money . . . which was meant to fund strikes and demonstrations.”

Treatment in Captivity

In May 2025 the couple marked three years since Iran took them hostage. During that time, the regime has permitted them only five consular visits. They were or are held in separate cells in section 209 (reserved for political prisoners) of Tehran’s notoriously brutal Evin Prison. The lights are kept on constantly in their cells and they are allowed outside for only half an hour several times a week.  They are seldom allowed brief, recorded telephone calls with relatives. They have reportedly been prohibited from accessing reading materials and Paris has been denied new glasses after losing his old ones, leaving his vision severely impaired. 

The authorities have forced Kohler and Paris to endure emotional agony. According to Kohler’s sister, Noemie, “For several months they have been told that a verdict is imminent, that it will be extremely severe, they are given deadlines each time and nothing ever happens.”

Noemie Kohler told the media in November 2023 that Cécile is “exhausted” and “seemed desperate,” "does not understand why she has been imprisoned,” and “is completely cut off from the world.” Noemie said in May 2025 that “Cecile and Jacques are increasingly desperate and are less and less optimistic.”

Following the Israeli airstrike on Evin during the Iran–Israel war in June 2025, their status was unknown for weeks and their families pleaded for proof of life. On July 1, 2025, a French diplomat was reportedly permitted to visit the two hostages, but their location was not disclosed publicly. Relatives of Kohler and Paris told Iran International on July 4 that the two had been transferred to undisclosed locations, though Kohler had been transferred for one day to the infamous Qarchak prison before being moved again.

International Reaction

On May 12, the French foreign ministry “condemn[ed]” what it called a “groundless arrest” and “call[ed] for [the detainees’] immediate release.” The ministry said the government had “fully mobilized” to help the two, had sought consular access to them, and had summoned the head of Iran’s embassy in Paris to explain the arrest.

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on May 17 that “We echo . . . [France’s] condemnation of these arrests. We similarly call on France to immediately release these two French nationals.”

After the video of Kohler and Paris “confessing” aired on Iranian state television on October 6, 2022, a French foreign ministry spokesperson condemned the Iranian regime’s behavior and stated that Kohler and Paris were being held as “state hostages.” “The staging of their alleged confessions is outrageous, appalling, unacceptable and contrary to international law,” the spokesperson said. “This masquerade reveals the contempt for human dignity that characterizes the Iranian authorities. These alleged confessions extracted under duress have no basis, nor did the reasons given for their arbitrary arrest.”

In August 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron demanded the release of Kohler, Paris, and two other French nationals held hostage in Iran. “Nothing justifies the detention . . . of French nationals in prisons and under unacceptable conditions in Iran,” Macron said.

In May 2025, coinciding with the third anniversary of Kohler’s and Paris’s detention, the French government took a number of steps with respect to the couple’s plight. A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry announced that France would initiate an International Court of Justice case against Iran for infringing upon the two hostages’ right to consular protection under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. “France will maintain pressure on the Iranian authorities until our two compatriots are freed,” the spokesperson said. “Their liberation is a national priority.”

Further, French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X that France was working “tirelessly” to free Kohler and Paris, adding, “I assure their families that our support is unwavering.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot likewise posted a video message calling the couple “hostages” and “victims of the Iranian regime.” Barrot also claimed that the two “are kept in inhumane conditions that amount to torture,” and strongly advised French citizens against traveling to Iran.

In June 2025, Macron posted that “Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris must be released. Their inhumane detention is unjust. I expect them to return to France.”

In July 2025, after the regime charged Kohler and Paris with three crimes that can be punished with the death penalty, Macron threatened Iran with unspecified “retaliatory measures,” calling the charges “a provocation against France.” Barrot stated that France’s upcoming decision on whether to impose “snapback” sanctions on Iran for its violations of the 2015 nuclear deal “will be conditional on resolving” the matter of Kohler and Paris’s detention. 

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