Portraits of French nationals Cecile Kohler (L) and her partner French national Jacques Paris (C) outside the Palais Bourbon, France’s National Assembly, Paris, March 25, 2025 (Bertrand Guay/AFP)
Iran’s authorities have condemned French political prisoners Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris to lengthy prison sentences for “espionage”.
Without naming the pair, Iranian outlets said one French citizen was given terms of six years for spying on behalf of France, five years for conspiracy to commit a crime against national security, and 20 years for assisting Israeli intelligence services.
The other was handed 10 years in prison for spying on behalf of France, five for conspiracy, and 17 for aiding Israel.
Kohler and her partner Paris were detained since May 2022 during a tourist trip, as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized foreign and dual nationals for political leverage.
The Iranian judiciary has never produced any evidence against the pair in public.
French officials criticized the sentences as unfounded and arbitrary punishment. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux told reporters:
I would like to spare a special thought for our compatriots Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been detained for more than three years in Iran.
Both were arbitrarily sentenced just the day before yesterday to very long prison terms. The charges against them, whatever they may be, are completely unfounded. We call for their immediate release.
The Iranian and French Governments indicated only a week ago that there was progress in talks to free the pair. French-German cyclist Lennart Monterlos was released last week after a court acquitted him of espionage charges.
Iran’s State outlets have tried to rationalize the sentences by pointing France’s detention of Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian student arrested this year over anti-Israel social media posts.
Iranian Security Forces Arrest Researchers, Economists in Tehran
https://iranwire.com/en/news/146053-iranian-security-forces-arrest-researchers-economists-in-tehran/
Mullahs bankrupt the country and then they arrest the researchers who study and report it.
Crowds chant ‘Death to Khamenei’ at funeral of man who burned leader’s photo
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202511031454
Iranian Man Found Dead After Posting Video Burning Khamenei’s Image
https://iranwire.com/en/news/146023-iranian-man-found-dead-after-posting-video-burning-khameneis-image/
Worker’s Death Exposes MPs’ Control Over Employment in Small Iranian Cities
https://iranwire.com/en/features/145899-workers-death-exposes-mps-control-over-employment-in-small-iranian-cities/
IRGC Member Kills Woman Who Refused Marriage Demand in Western Iran
https://iranwire.com/en/women/145879-irgc-member-kills-woman-who-refused-marriage-demand-in-western-iran/
Shot, Stabbed, Beaten to Death: The Women Iran’s Laws Fail to Protect
https://iranwire.com/en/women/145841-shot-stabbed-beaten-to-death-the-women-irans-laws-fail-to-protect/
Loose lips sink ships, security supremo at center of wedding furor warns
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202510246405
Security Forces Steal Gold and Shoot Villagers at Iranian Mine
https://iranwire.com/en/features/145784-security-forces-steal-gold-shoot-villagers-at-iranian-mine/
The mullah state is practically is in failed state
Security Forces Steal Gold and Shoot Villagers at Iranian Mine
Student Faces Execution After Iran’s Supreme Court Rejects Retrial
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/145758-student-faces-execution-after-irans-supreme-court-rejects-retrial/
Leaked documents reveal fighter jet deal between Russia and Iran: https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/10/06/report-leaked-documents-reveal-fighter-jet-deal-between-russia-and-iran/
“Leaked documents appear to point to a major deal involving the sale of Russian-made fighter jets to Iran, centered on the purchase of 48 advanced Sukhoi-35 aircraft. The leak, published by the hacker group “Black Mirror,” reportedly contains more than 300 documents, including pricing details and weapons transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Iranian Police Kill 7-Year-Old Boy at Checkpoint, Rights Group Reports
https://iranwire.com/en/news/145685-iranian-police-kill-7-year-old-boy-at-checkpoint-rights-group-reports/
[Editor’s Note: As always with The Grayzone, best known for disinformation and for dressing up hacked e-mails as “journalism”, treat with caution.]
Secret Israeli military bunker located under Tel Aviv tower struck by Iran, analysis shows: https://thegrayzone.com/2025/10/13/secret-israeli-military-bunker-located-under-tel-aviv-tower-struck-by-iran-analysis-shows/
“When Iran struck a series of targets in the heart of north Tel Aviv with ballistic missiles on June 13, Israeli authorities immediately cordoned off the area to prevent journalists from filming the damage. “The building on this compound was just hit,” Trey Yingst of Fox News reported as he arrived that evening at the site of HaKirya, Israel’s Defense Ministry headquarters, and the nearby Azrieli Center. But within seconds, Israeli police officers arrived to aggressively shunt Yingst away from where he was standing, just north of the HaKirya Bridge on the west side of Menachem Begin Road. That day, Iranian missiles struck the north tower of the Da Vinci apartment complex roughly 550 meters southwest of Yingst’s location. The Grayzone has determined that the building sits immediately south of the “Canarit” / “Kannarit” Israeli Air Force towers and above an underground military intelligence bunker jointly administered by the US and Israeli militaries. According to an analysis of leaked emails, public documents, and Israeli news reports, the location is host to a highly secretive, electromagnetically shielded intelligence facility known as “Site 81.”
Never mind three months ago, reza. Lets watch this channel
Iran’s Double Standards: Lashes for the Masses and Strapless Gowns for Elites
https://iranwire.com/en/features/145705-irans-double-standards-lashes-for-the-masses-and-strapless-gowns-for-elites/
Naked hypocrisy: leaked wedding video sparks new scandal for Iran’s rulers
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202510192118
Both Jacques Paris and Cecile Kohler have 20 days to appeal the verdict. Both entered the country as tourists: https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/1103503
“The General Department of Public Relations and Information of the Ministry of Intelligence informs the noble nation of Iran: Two European individuals who entered the country with the aim of abusing the legitimate demands of some classes and strata of the country and changing the direction of normal demands into chaos, social disorder, and destabilizing society were identified and arrested.”