The sister of a French teacher Cécile Kohler, held in an Iranian jail with her partner Jacques Paris, has called on the French government to secure their release on humanitarian grounds as violence intensifies between Iran and Israel.
"We expect the French authorities to use all their influence to bring an end to the bombings, so that there are no more civilian casualties and so that Cécile and Jacques can regain some semblance of safety," Noémie Kohler told RFI.
"We also expect them to do their utmost by invoking, for example, humanitarian evacuation, which is justified in this situation."
Kohler, 40, and Paris, who is in his seventies, were arrested on 7 May 2022 at the end of a tourist trip to Iran. They are accused of spying – charges they deny.
They are being held in section 209 of Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, an area reserved for political prisoners.
French authorities have condemned the couple's arrest and detention, describing them as state hostages.
"We have also very recently received a response to the numerous complaints we have lodged with major international bodies such as the UN," Noémie Kohler added.
"There has been a response from the Iranian government which, for the first time, mentions efforts being made to obtain a pardon for Cécile and Jacques. So we think this is something the French authorities can use to speed up their release."
France sues Iran at top UN court over citizens detained in Tehran
Iranian missiles hit Israel
On Thursday, at least 47 people were injured after a barrage of Iranian missiles struck a hospital in southern Israel and two towns near Tel Aviv.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that Iran would pay a heavy price after the attack on Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said the army had been ordered to intensify strikes on Iran.
In France, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the Senate that he had sent messages to the Iranian and Israeli authorities alerting them to the presence of the French pair in Evin Prison and to the need, in the case of the Iranian authorities, to release them without delay to ensure their safety.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke with the Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian last Saturday, has also called for the immediate release of Kohler and Paris.
They are officially the last two French nationals held in Iran. Olivier Grondeau, who was detained in October 2022, was released in March 2025.
