Two French citizens detained in Iran for almost four years, after being convicted of espionage in a trial the French government deemed “completely unfounded” and “arbitrary,” were released on Tuesday and taken out of the country.
The couple, both teachers, had become symbols in France of unjust imprisonment and the “hostage diplomacy” used by the Iranian regime. Their faces were posted on government buildings.
Cécile Kohler, 41, a high school literature teacher, and her partner, Jacques Paris, a retired mathematics teacher in his 70s, were arrested during a tourist visit to Iran in 2022. They were thrown into Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where dissidents and political prisoners are held.
Over the next three years, they were allowed only four consular visits — and “under highly restrictive conditions,” the French state said. The French foreign affairs minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, likened their conditions to “torture.”
In 2025, the couple was convicted in an Iranian court of spying for French intelligence services, conspiring to undermine Iran’s national security and cooperating with Israeli intelligence services. Their sentences were severe: Ms. Kohler was given 20 years in prison, and Mr. Paris 17, according to the French government.
A month later, after intense negotiations, the couple was released, but barred from leaving Iran. They moved into the French Embassy in Tehran.
Over the years, Ms. Kohler and Mr. Paris’s names have repeatedly appeared in the French news, as their families rallied for them and French diplomats worked to secure their release. Their photos, with the word “freedom,” were posted on the metal gates of the French National Assembly, as well as ministry buildings.
After the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran at the end of February, and bombs began raining down over Tehran, French diplomatic efforts became more intense. The French government officials refused to disclose what, if anything, was given to Iran in exchange for the couple’s release.
President Emmanuel Macron made the much-anticipated announcement about the couple’s release at a health summit in Lyon, saying that they were “free and on their way back to France.”
“This is wonderful news,” he said.
When the news was announced in the National Assembly, lawmakers jumped to their feet to applaud.
Mr. Barrot, who had been discussing freedom for Ms. Kohler and Mr. Paris with the Iranian foreign minister on Sunday, said on social media that he had spoken by phone with the couple. They “expressed their emotion and joy at soon being reunited with their country and their loved ones,” he said.
They are expected to arrive in Paris on Wednesday.
Ana Castelain contributed reporting from Paris
Catherine Porter is an international reporter for The Times, covering France. She is based in Paris.
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