Paris has filed a case against Tehran at the UN's International Court of Justice over two French citizens who have been held in Iran for three years, the French foreign minister said on Friday.
In its case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), France accuses Iran "of violating its obligation to provide consular protection" to Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris and holding them "hostage" under "appalling conditions that amount to torture", Jean-Noel Barrot told France 2 television.
The announcement comes as Iranian negotiators prepare to meet with their counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany in Turkey on Friday for talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
French teacher Kohler and her partner Paris on Wednesday marked three years in detention in Tehran.
"They are at the end of their strength," Kohler's sister told RFI on Wednesday. “Cécile and Jacques are increasingly desperate and are less and less optimistic.”
Iran claims French couple imprisoned since 2022 'in good health'
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 strongly deny.
They are being held in section 209 of Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, an area reserved for political prisoners.
They are the last known French citizens still detained in Iran and are considered “state hostages” by the French government.
(with newswires)
