France condemns Iran's detention of couple
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 2, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 2, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
France condemns Iran for detaining two French citizens on unfounded espionage charges, filing a case at the International Court of Justice.
PARIS (Reuters) -France reaffirmed on Wednesday its condemnation of Iran's detention of two French citizens, who have been held for three years.
The pair, Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris, are being held in a "totally arbitrary manner," the French foreign ministry said in a statement following a report from AFP that the two had been charged with spying for Israel's Mossad spy agency.
If the report is confirmed, the charge is "totally unfounded," a diplomatic source said, adding the pair was innocent.
France in May filed a case at the International Court of Justice against Iran for violating the right to consular protection, a bid to pressure Iran over the detention of Kohler and Paris, who have been held since May 2022.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have detained dozens of foreign and dual nationals in recent years, often on espionage-related charges. Rights groups and Western countries accuse Tehran of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips, which Iran denies.
(Reporting by Mimosa Spencer; Editing by David Gregorio)
The detained French citizens are Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris.
France has filed a case at the International Court of Justice against Iran for violating the right to consular protection.
France describes the detention of Kohler and Paris as being held in a 'totally arbitrary manner.'
If confirmed, the charges against them are considered 'totally unfounded' according to a diplomatic source.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have detained many foreign and dual nationals in recent years, often on espionage-related charges.
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