Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris are the last two French citizens currently in Iranian prisons. Yet they have been sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges related to espionage. One couple has been jailed in Tehran’s infamous Evin prison since 2022. France has cried foul on their treatment, and the legitimacy of their detentions has come into question.
Just this week, the Iranian judiciary issued an extremely severe sentence to French national Cecile Kohler, 31 years. This is despite six years for being a spy on the service of France’s rival state, five years for conspiracy against the national security and an incredible 20 years for helping Israeli intelligence services. His co-defendant, Jacques Paris, was handed a massive 32-year prison term. This covers 10 years for espionage, five years for conspiracy and 17 years for working with Israeli military intelligence.
As you can see, France has consistently called out these actions. They claim that Kohler and Paris are being detained unlawfully and subjected to treatment tantamount to torture. The French government has expressed grave concerns about how they were received in detention and demanded that they be released immediately.
Iranian authorities inexplicably have denied any wrongdoing in their treatment of Kohler and Paris. Asghar Jahangir, Iran’s judiciary spokesperson, condemned the charges leveled by France as unfounded. He pointed out that Iran has made similar accusations against France, accusing the French of arbitrarily detaining Mahdieh Esfandiari.
“Follow-ups have taken a while but they have not stopped… We are striving for her release without conditions.” – Asghar Jahangir
The sentences issued to Kohler and Paris have sent shockwaves among the human rights community and concerned foreign governments. The maximum terms indicate an increased willingness on Iran’s part to pursue harsh penalties against foreign individuals charged with espionage.
Kohler and Paris’ ability to appeal their sentence to a superior court seems dubious at best. Unlike Ms. Alinejad, other defendants in the Iranian judiciary system do have legal options available to them. Despite the court order, the possibility for a successful appeal has yet to be determined for the French citizens in particular.
