An Iranian court has sentenced two French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, to a combined 63 years in prison on espionage and national security charges, according to Iranian judiciary media. The case is expected to strain diplomatic relations between Tehran and Paris, as France has denounced the convictions as “unjustified and unfounded.”
The Revolutionary Court in Tehran delivered the preliminary verdict after closed-door proceedings. The semi-official Fars News Agency alleged that the pair cooperated with French intelligence and Israeli entities. Under Iranian law, defendants typically serve only the longest single sentence among multiple charges, though the total terms underscore the severity of the state’s allegations.
Kohler and Paris were detained in 2022 after attending a teachers’ protest in Iran, where authorities accused them of supporting anti-government unrest. French officials identified them as a teachers’ union representative and her partner who were in the country on vacation. Their arrest followed rising diplomatic tensions surrounding foreign nationals in Iran.
The sentencing coincides with reports of a potential prisoner-swap negotiation between Tehran and Paris involving Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian national detained in France for alleged terror-related activity. Analysts note that Iran’s pattern of detaining Western nationals often serves as leverage in diplomatic exchanges.
For European states, the ruling highlights the continued risks for citizens operating or traveling in politically sensitive environments, where espionage allegations can rapidly escalate into international disputes.