Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 8, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 8, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleTwo French nationals, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, were released after nearly three and a half years in Iran’s Evin prison and have safely returned to France, marking “the end of a terrible ordeal,” President Macron said.
By Dominique Vidalon
PARIS, April 8 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday welcomed home two French nationals released after three and a half years in detention in Iran, calling their return "the end of a terrible ordeal."
Cecile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, had been confined to France's embassy in Tehran since November, after being held since 2022 in the notorious Evin prison on spying charges that France has said were unfounded.
They were allowed to leave Iran on Tuesday, a surprise move that came as France sought to distance itself from the Middle East conflict, and arrived in Paris on Wednesday morning.
"We are delighted to welcome back Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris to France after three and a half years of hardship in Iran. It is a huge relief for all of us," Macron wrote on X after meeting and embracing the pair in the gardens of the Elysee palace.
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.
Earlier in the day, Macron told French defense and security officials the release of the duo marked "the end of a terrible ordeal of three and a half years," and thanked Oman authorities for their mediation role.
After meeting with Macron, the pair, looking tired but in good spirits, spoke briefly to the press.
"We were under constant threat. We had no right to read, no right to write. As soon as we left our cell, we were blindfolded," Paris said. "Obviously, one of the objectives was undoubtedly to break us. For us, it is a new beginning. We are not broken. We will speak up and we will enjoy life."
(Reporting by Dominique VidalonEditing by Bernadette Baum)
Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris are the two French nationals freed after three and a half years in detention in Iran.
They were jailed on spying charges, which France has said were unfounded.
They were held for three and a half years in Iran, primarily in the Evin prison.
Oman authorities helped mediate the release of the French nationals.
President Macron expressed relief and welcomed them personally at the Elysee palace.
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