Families of detained French citizens in Iran plead for proof of life after prison strike

By Lauren Bacquie

PARIS (Reuters) -The families of Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris, two French citizens detained in Iran since 2022, issued urgent pleas on Friday for proof the pair are still alive, days after an Israeli strike hit Tehran's Evin prison where they are held.

Evin prison is known as Iran’s most notorious facility for political prisoners, and where Iran has often held foreign nationals, including Paris and Kohler who are accused of spying and seeking to stir up unrest. France has called the charges baseless and has demanded their immediate release for three years.

Israel struck the prison on Monday, one of the last targets hit in its 12-day air campaign that ended with a ceasefire the following morning. Iran has said some people died in the attack but the fate of the French prisoners remained unclear.

France has condemned the strikes on the prison, accusing Israel of putting two of its citizens in danger.

"We are desperate, terrorized," said Anne-Laure Paris, daughter of Jacques, calling on Iranian authorities to provide immediate evidence that the pair survived and to secure their release within hours.

According to their families, the last confirmed contact with the prisoners was on May 30 during a consular visit.

"No one, not us, the families or the French authorities, have been able to make direct contact with them," Noemie Kohler, Cecile's sister said.

"We are waiting for immediate sign of life from Cécile and Jacques... to make sure they are really okay and they are really alive."

They are urging the French government to support "exfiltration on grounds of force majeure," pointing to the dangers posed by ongoing conflict and an unstable ceasefire. A formal request is also being prepared for submission within hours to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

France in May filed a case at the World Court against Iran for violating the right to consular protection a bid to pressure Iran over the detention of its two citizens.

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 Lauren BacquieWriting by Charlotte Van Campenhout Editing by Peter Graff)