Latest news with #CecileKohler
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Terrified': Supporters fear for prisoners trapped in Iran
As Israel presses its aerial attacks on Tehran, concern is growing over the fate of foreign nationals and Iranians seen by rights groups as political prisoners imprisoned in the capital who have no chance of fleeing to safety. Iran is believed to hold around 20 European nationals, many of whose cases have never been published, in what some Western governments describe as a strategy of hostage-taking aimed at extracting concessions from the West. Rights groups also accuse Iran of holding dozens of political prisoners whose sole offence has been to criticise the Islamic republic's clerical leadership. Most are held in Evin prison, a large, heavily fortified complex notorious among activists for rights abuses that is located in a northern district of the Iranian capital. The prisoners have no means to respond to US President Donald Trump's warning that "everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" For Noemie Kohler, the sister of French national Cecile Kohler, who has been held along with her partner Jacques Paris since May 2022 on espionage charges their families reject, the wait is agonising. "Since May 30, we've had no news, no sign of life from Jacques and Cecile, and the French authorities haven't been able to obtain any information either," Noemie Kohler told AFP, referring to the date of their last consular visit. "We saw that at least two strikes took place about two kilometres from where they are being held (in Evin prison), so it's extremely close. We suspect they must have heard the explosions, but we have no idea how they are doing, we have no idea what level of information they have access to." - 'Imminent danger' - Their last phone contact was on May 28, when Cecile Kohler's parents spoke to her, she said, describing the mood even then as "desperate", as they "no longer believe that they are going to be released". "We don't know if conditions in the prison have deteriorated in connection with the situation. We're completely in the dark, and we're truly terrified," she said. She called for the couple's "humanitarian exfiltration", warning that "they are in imminent danger of death". French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in May that 20 Europeans -- a higher number than the total of publicised cases -- are held in similar circumstances in Iran, including "teachers, academics, journalists, tourists". He told parliament on Wednesday that France sent messages to the Iranian and Israeli authorities "alerting them to the presence of our two compatriots in Evin prison and to the need, as far as the Iranian authorities are concerned, to release them without delay to ensure their safety". Among other Europeans known to be held in Iran is Iranian-Swedish academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was arrested during a visit in April 2016 and sentenced to death in 2017 on charges of spying for Israel, which his family says are false. The current conflict, which has already seen one man, Esmail Fekri, executed on Monday on charges of spying for Israel, has made Djalali's situation especially precarious. Norway-based group Iran Human Rights has warned the lives of Djalali and eight other men convicted on similar charges are at risk. "The risk of execution of these individuals is serious," said its director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, adding they had all been sentenced after "an unfair, non-transparent process, and based on the orders of security institutions". - 'My dad is in prison' - Tehran residents have fled the city en masse. The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, who was serving a prison sentence but was released from Evin last year on medical leave, said she had left Tehran. But Mohammadi's fellow rights activist Reza Khandan, the husband of prize-winning rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, is still jailed in Evin. Khandan, who long campaigned for his wife while she was in jail, was himself arrested in December 2024. "My dad is in prison. Can you tell me, how can my father evacuate Tehran?" their daughter Mehraveh Khandan said in a tearful message on Instagram. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran urged "all parties to fully comply with international humanitarian law and take immediate steps to safeguard civilians, including those in custody". It published a letter by legal activist Mahvash Seydal, seen as a political prisoner by rights groups, calling on authorities to grant detainees such as herself temporary release "to protect the lives and dignity of political prisoners". pau-sjw/ah/jhb
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
'Terrified': Supporters fear for prisoners trapped in Iran
Iran is believed to hold around 20 European nationals, many of whose cases have never been published, in what some Western governments describe as a strategy of hostage-taking aimed at extracting concessions from the West. Rights groups also accuse Iran of holding dozens of political prisoners whose sole offence has been to criticise the Islamic republic's clerical leadership. Most are held in Evin prison, a large, heavily fortified complex notorious among activists for rights abuses that is located in a northern district of the Iranian capital. The prisoners have no means to respond to US President Donald Trump's warning that "everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" For Noemie Kohler, the sister of French national Cecile Kohler, who has been held along with her partner Jacques Paris since May 2022 on espionage charges their families reject, the wait is agonising. "Since May 30, we've had no news, no sign of life from Jacques and Cecile, and the French authorities haven't been able to obtain any information either," Noemie Kohler told AFP, referring to the date of their last consular visit. "We saw that at least two strikes took place about two kilometres from where they are being held (in Evin prison), so it's extremely close. We suspect they must have heard the explosions, but we have no idea how they are doing, we have no idea what level of information they have access to." 'Imminent danger' Their last phone contact was on May 28, when Cecile Kohler's parents spoke to her, she said, describing the mood even then as "desperate", as they "no longer believe that they are going to be released". "We don't know if conditions in the prison have deteriorated in connection with the situation. We're completely in the dark, and we're truly terrified," she said. She called for the couple's "humanitarian exfiltration", warning that "they are in imminent danger of death". French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in May that 20 Europeans -- a higher number than the total of publicised cases -- are held in similar circumstances in Iran, including "teachers, academics, journalists, tourists". He told parliament on Wednesday that France sent messages to the Iranian and Israeli authorities "alerting them to the presence of our two compatriots in Evin prison and to the need, as far as the Iranian authorities are concerned, to release them without delay to ensure their safety". Among other Europeans known to be held in Iran is Iranian-Swedish academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was arrested during a visit in April 2016 and sentenced to death in 2017 on charges of spying for Israel, which his family says are false. The current conflict, which has already seen one man, Esmail Fekri, executed on Monday on charges of spying for Israel, has made Djalali's situation especially precarious. Norway-based group Iran Human Rights has warned the lives of Djalali and eight other men convicted on similar charges are at risk. "The risk of execution of these individuals is serious," said its director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, adding they had all been sentenced after "an unfair, non-transparent process, and based on the orders of security institutions". 'My dad is in prison' Tehran residents have fled the city en masse. The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, who was serving a prison sentence but was released from Evin last year on medical leave, said she had left Tehran. But Mohammadi's fellow rights activist Reza Khandan, the husband of prize-winning rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, is still jailed in Evin. Khandan, who long campaigned for his wife while she was in jail, was himself arrested in December 2024. "My dad is in prison. Can you tell me, how can my father evacuate Tehran?" their daughter Mehraveh Khandan said in a tearful message on Instagram. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran urged "all parties to fully comply with international humanitarian law and take immediate steps to safeguard civilians, including those in custody". It published a letter by legal activist Mahvash Seydal, seen as a political prisoner by rights groups, calling on authorities to grant detainees such as herself temporary release "to protect the lives and dignity of political prisoners".
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
'Terrified': Supporters Fear For Prisoners Trapped In Iran
As Israel presses its aerial attacks on Tehran, concern is growing over the fate of foreign nationals and Iranians seen by rights groups as political prisoners imprisoned in the capital who have no chance of fleeing to safety. Iran is believed to hold around 20 European nationals, many of whose cases have never been published, in what some Western governments describe as a strategy of hostage-taking aimed at extracting concessions from the West. Rights groups also accuse Iran of holding dozens of political prisoners whose sole offence has been to criticise the Islamic republic's clerical leadership. Most are held in Evin prison, a large, heavily fortified complex notorious among activists for rights abuses that is located in a northern district of the Iranian capital. The prisoners have no means to respond to US President Donald Trump's warning that "everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" For Noemie Kohler, the sister of French national Cecile Kohler, who has been held along with her partner Jacques Paris since May 2022 on espionage charges their families reject, the wait is agonising. "Since May 30, we've had no news, no sign of life from Jacques and Cecile, and the French authorities haven't been able to obtain any information either," Noemie Kohler told AFP, referring to the date of their last consular visit. "We saw that at least two strikes took place about two kilometres from where they are being held (in Evin prison), so it's extremely close. We suspect they must have heard the explosions, but we have no idea how they are doing, we have no idea what level of information they have access to." Their last phone contact was on May 28, when Cecile Kohler's parents spoke to her, she said, describing the mood even then as "desperate", as they "no longer believe that they are going to be released". "We don't know if conditions in the prison have deteriorated in connection with the situation. We're completely in the dark, and we're truly terrified," she said. She called for the couple's "humanitarian exfiltration", warning that "they are in imminent danger of death". French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in May that 20 Europeans -- a higher number than the total of publicised cases -- are held in similar circumstances in Iran, including "teachers, academics, journalists, tourists". He told parliament on Wednesday that France sent messages to the Iranian and Israeli authorities "alerting them to the presence of our two compatriots in Evin prison and to the need, as far as the Iranian authorities are concerned, to release them without delay to ensure their safety". Among other Europeans known to be held in Iran is Iranian-Swedish academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was arrested during a visit in April 2016 and sentenced to death in 2017 on charges of spying for Israel, which his family says are false. The current conflict, which has already seen one man, Esmail Fekri, executed on Monday on charges of spying for Israel, has made Djalali's situation especially precarious. Norway-based group Iran Human Rights has warned the lives of Djalali and eight other men convicted on similar charges are at risk. "The risk of execution of these individuals is serious," said its director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, adding they had all been sentenced after "an unfair, non-transparent process, and based on the orders of security institutions". Tehran residents have fled the city en masse. The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, who was serving a prison sentence but was released from Evin last year on medical leave, said she had left Tehran. But Mohammadi's fellow rights activist Reza Khandan, the husband of prize-winning rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, is still jailed in Evin. Khandan, who long campaigned for his wife while she was in jail, was himself arrested in December 2024. "My dad is in prison. Can you tell me, how can my father evacuate Tehran?" their daughter Mehraveh Khandan said in a tearful message on Instagram. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran urged "all parties to fully comply with international humanitarian law and take immediate steps to safeguard civilians, including those in custody". It published a letter by legal activist Mahvash Seydal, seen as a political prisoner by rights groups, calling on authorities to grant detainees such as herself temporary release "to protect the lives and dignity of political prisoners". There is particular concern over the fate of Ahmadreza Djalali AFP Narges Mohamnmadi was able to leave Tehran AFP
The National
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Iran criticises France for case filed at UN court over citizens' detention
Iran on Monday criticised France for filing a case against it at the International Court of Justice over the detention of two French nationals in conditions Paris denounced as inhumane. 'This move by France is, at best, an attempt to exploit a legal and judicial institution,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, calling the step 'pointless' and saying Iran would 'defend itself'. Cecile Kohler, a 40-year-old literature teacher from eastern France and her partner Jacques Paris, in his 70s, were arrested on May 7, 2022, on the last day of a tourist trip to Iran. The pair are among about 20 Europeans held in Iran in what some European countries regard as a strategy of hostage-taking to extract concessions from the west at a time of tension over Tehran's nuclear programme. A fifth round of US-Iran talks were held on Friday in Rome. The two parties aim for a framework to guide talks, the Wall Street Journal reported, that could mirror a 2013 interim agreement that preceded the 2015 nuclear deal Iran reached with the Obama administration. In parallel, technical talks between France, the UK and Germany also take place regularly with Iran. If they fail, European countries have threatened to reimpose sanctions on Tehran in October. In its case at the ICJ, France accused Iran 'of violating its obligation to provide consular protection' to the pair, who 'have been held hostage … detained in appalling conditions that amount to torture', Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier this month. Court procedures at the ICJ are expected to take up to two years. Ms Kohler and Mr Paris are the last known French detainees in Iran and their families say they face tough conditions in jail. French consular representatives in Iran have been allowed to visit them briefly four times. Paris has said that is insufficient to guarantee their rights under international law and the 1963 Vienna Convention on consular relations. Under the convention, consular representatives should be allowed to inspect detention conditions and provide legal support. France, as well as other European countries, have in recent years toughened their stance against Iran's human rights breaches and nuclear programme. Relations deteriorated further when it was reported that Iran was supporting Russia in its war on Ukraine, a western ally.
News24
16-05-2025
- Politics
- News24
France sues Iran at ICJ over citizens ‘held hostage' for 3 years
France will sue Iran to free Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris. They have been held on spying charges for three years. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners. Paris has filed a case against Tehran at the top UN court over two French citizens who have been held in Iran for three years, the French foreign minister said on Friday. The announcement comes as Iranian negotiators are set to meet with their counterparts from the UK, France, and Germany in Turkey on Friday for talks on Iran's nuclear programme. Cecile Kohler, a 40-year-old literature teacher from eastern France and her partner Jacques Paris, in his 70s, were arrested on 7 May 2022, on the last day of a tourist trip to Iran. They have been held on spying charges, which they have vehemently denied. In its case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), France accuses Iran 'of violating its obligation to provide consular protection' to the pair, who 'have been held hostage... detained in appalling conditions that amount to torture', Jean-Noel Barrot told France 2 television. READ | Iran must 'walk away' from all uranium enrichment, Rubio says They are among a number of Europeans still held by Iran in what some European countries, including France, regard as a deliberate strategy of hostage-taking to extract concessions from the West at a time of tension over the Islamic republic's nuclear programme. Kohler and Paris are the last known French detainees in Iran after some recent releases and are regarded as 'state hostages' by the French government. The two are jailed in extremely tough conditions, according to their families. According to Reuters, Iranian officials deny these accusations. 'France will maintain pressure on the Iranian authorities until our two compatriots are freed. Their liberation is a national priority,' French foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine told a news conference. He said French officials would file the case on Friday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is based in The Hague, for violating the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Cases at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, take years to come to a final ruling. Parties can request the court to order emergency measures to ensure that the dispute not deteriorate while the case is making its way through the United Nations' top court. In recent years, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. Iran denies taking prisoners to gain diplomatic leverage.
