French citizens Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, detained in Iran since May 2022, have been released and are heading to the French Embassy in Tehran, Macron announces.

The French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, detained in Iran since May 2022 on charges of espionage, have been released from Evin prison and are on their way to the French Embassy in Tehran. Kohler, a professor of modern literature, and her partner were sentenced to 20 and 17 years in prison, respectively.

Macron expressed satisfaction with this first step and emphasized that dialogue continues to facilitate their return to France. The lawyers of the two welcomed the release, considering it a victory against the arbitrary detention that lasted 1,277 days and promised to fight for their rights. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the two are at the residence of France in Tehran, awaiting their final release.