“In Iran, Cécile and Jacques are stuck between the fear of bombing and the risk of a death sentence” | EUROtoday

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LA Nouvelle has had the impact of a bomb. Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French nationals arbitrarily detained for greater than three years in Iran, have been charged with “espionage for mossad”, “conspiracy to overthrow the regime” and “corruption on earth”, three leaders liable to the demise penalty within the Islamic Republic. The announcement was made to the France-Presse company by a Western diplomatic supply in addition to the entourage of French prisoners.

Professor of 40 -year -old letters, Cécile Kohler and her companion Jacques Paris, a retired arithmetic trainer, had been arrested on May 7, 2022 on the final day of a vacationer journey they made in Iran. Originally from jap France, the 2 nationals are additionally unionists, energetic throughout the trainer department of Force Ouvrière (FNEC). France considers them as “state hostages”, the most recent victims dated the “hostage diplomacy” of Tehran, which goals to arbitrarily arrest Western residents in Iran so as to put their nation to acquire political wages in alternate for his or her launch.

Since their arrest, Noémie Kohler, Cécile Kohler’s sister, doesn’t spare her sentence to alert the destiny of the 2 French folks, detained in abominable circumstances within the jail of Evin de Tehran, the identical one which was bombed by Israel on June 23. In an interview with Pointshe delivers the most recent data on their bodily and psychological well being, and reacts to the shock announcement of their indictment.

Le Point: How did you be taught the cost of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris?

Noémie Kohler: We had been knowledgeable of it on Wednesday initially of the afternoon on Wednesday in the course of the report of the consular go to which was communicated to us by the disaster and assist heart of the Quai d’Orsay. We had been merely advised that in this consular go to, Cécile and Jacques had indicated to the French officer that that they had seen a choose and that he had confirmed that three expenses had been chosen in opposition to them, particularly the burden of espionage on behalf of Israel, of conspiracy so as to overthrow energy and corruption on earth.

Do you already know when this go to befell?

We haven’t any data on the date and don’t even know the id of the choose.

This information is all of the extra shocking because it intervenes the day after the announcement by the chief of French diplomacy, Jean-Noël Barrot, that the 2 French prisoners had obtained a consular go to and that they had been in good well being.

After the bombing of Evin jail, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs had certainly mentioned that Cécile and Jacques had not been affected, however he had used the conditional as a result of this data got here solely from the Iranian authorities, whose speech, which has been experimenting for greater than three years, is way from being a assure. We due to this fact wanted an indication of life, which was truly obtained throughout this consular go to throughout which the challenge supervisor might see that Cécile and Jacques had not been bodily injured in the course of the bombing.

Do you know the way Cécile and Jacques lived these bombings?

Cécile and Jacques mentioned that they had heard three detonations very near them, who had made the partitions of their cell tremble. Cécile claims to sleep anymore, terrorized that the bombings don’t resume. She continuously feels in peril of demise and hears noises of fireside outdoors her jail which make her concern that the battle restarts. As for Jacques, he indicated that prisoners near him had been injured by bursts, however that he himself thought of himself fortunate to not have been affected.

Do you already know the place Cécile and Jacques are precisely right this moment?

The consular go to befell in a big jail within the south of Tehran, however there isn’t any indication that it’s their place of detention. Both indicated, after the bombing of Evin jail, to have been rapidly grouped with the opposite prisoners for a switch outdoors. They additionally talked about an enormous deployment of particular forces contained in the jail to keep away from escapes, a tool which appeared to have been fairly violent, particularly when the prisoners transfer. We know that Cécile was first transferred with many different prisoners to Qarchak jail, south of Tehran, the place she remained locked up for twenty-four hours. She could not even have the little enterprise she had in Evin. We then put a scarf on her eyes and he or she was taken to a different detention heart whose location is unknown. The Iranian authorities don’t talk on this in any respect. As for Jacques, he was additionally transferred to a spot of detention remained secret. He is alone in his empty cell, with none furnishings. During his consular go to, he insisted on the acute hardness of his circumstances of detention. For instance, he nonetheless doesn’t have glasses tailored to his sight.

How did you react to the information of their triple expenses for expenses liable to the demise penalty?

It is an countless nightmare. Cécile and Jacques had already been detained for greater than three years in damaging circumstances which accurately killed them slowly. They then lived on June 23 of the bombings that they narrowly escaped. While they barely had time to catch their breath, right here they’re introduced three expenses who, independently of one another, are liable to the demise penalty. Both are actually caught between two risks: the concern that the bombing will resume and the prospect of a demise sentence that weighs on their heads.

Do you know the way they stay this case psychologically?

They are fully tortured psychologically and it’s horrible for us, their household, as a result of in actuality, we’re determined. We at all times have the impression that it can’t be worse and in reality, we at all times go additional in horror. It is a horrible feeling and one has the impression that the French authorities are exceeded. In reality, we’re afraid that this case won’t ever settle.

However, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are solely accused and unconverted. Do you assume that this indictment is linked to the present context of elevated repression in Iran after the warfare in opposition to Israel?

Inevitably, we give it some thought. There are many arrests in the intervening time in Iran for this similar purpose for espionage on behalf of Israel. And it’s true, for the second, that the knowledge of their cost has not been confirmed by the authorities. It is due to this fact not recognized whether it is data that was transmitted to Cécile and Jacques to torture them much more and put strain on their household in addition to, maybe additionally, on the French state.

What do you consider the accusations in themselves?

What we truly see is that there’s an evolution of the accusations in opposition to Cécile and Jacques in line with the context, since on October 6, 2022, State Iranian tv broadcast a video wherein they had been compelled to make confessions in line with which they accused of being brokers of the DGSE. Now, right this moment, after the battle between Iran and Israel, they’re now accused of being Mossad brokers. We due to this fact observe a variation in accusations in line with the context. For us, it is vitally sophisticated to not analyze this within the context of what has occurred in latest weeks in Iran.

Does the brand new upheaval verify you in the concept that we’re in a blatant case of “hostage diplomacy” of the Islamic Republic with regard to France?

I do not truly see the way it could possibly be one thing else. These two persons are harmless and it appears fully accent to remind you because the state of affairs is absurd. I don’t perceive why there may be such relentlessness on Cécile and Jacques, besides to acquire one thing from France. For us, the one option to analyze the state of affairs is that they’re alternate currencies. We have no idea what the Iranian authorities anticipate, however now we have the impression in any case that their worth evolves in line with the context, and that that is what paralyzes France.

The Iranian authorities appear right this moment to concern that France, Germany and the United Kingdom will restore the “snapback”, the UN sanctions for non-compliance with the Iranian nuclear settlement of 2015. Is that what you assume is at stake right this moment?

Inevitably, this is without doubt one of the hypotheses. Now, now we have completely no concrete data concerning the potential points and negotiations in progress, so it is vitally troublesome for us to reply this query. As a household of hostages, I do know that the deadline for the “snapback” is ready in October, and in actuality, we marvel how Cécile and Jacques will be capable of maintain on till this second. In reality, it appears fully inhuman to depart them for a number of months on this state of affairs.


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Do you assume the French authorities do all the things right this moment to get Cécile and Jacques out of jail?

This is a troublesome query insofar as anyway, now we have no visibility on all the things that’s achieved to get them out of there, as a result of a part of the work isn’t communicated to us. It is due to this fact troublesome to situate ourselves in relation to our degree of knowledge. Now, since January, we see that France has publicly raised their tone with very robust statements, which confirms us in the concept that issues are achieved, that the liberation of Cécile and Jacques is a precedence file, which permits us, households, to maneuver ahead. There was additionally the referral by France of the International Court of Justice in opposition to Iran for breach of its consular obligations. On our aspect, we additionally plead for an thought of ​​humanitarian extradition however we have no idea to what extent that is potential.


https://www.lepoint.fr/monde/en-iran-cecile-et-jacques-sont-coinces-entre-la-peur-des-bombardements-et-le-risque-d-une-condamnation-a-mort-03-07-2025-2593588_24.php