French paid sentenced to prison time on spying charges

Two French citizens were sentenced to long prison sentences by a court in Iran after being convicted of espionage, Iranian state media reported.

Although the names of the defendants are not mentioned in the reports, they are thought to be Cecile Kohler (40), the only French national detained in Iran, and her partner Jacques Paris (72). They were arrested in May 2022 during a tourist trip.

According to reports, the duo was found guilty of spying for both France and Israel.

The announcement came more than a month after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a deal to replace French detainees with an Iranian woman held in France was almost complete.

Iran has previously said Kohler and Paris could be released as part of this deal.

Another French tourist, 34-year-old Olivier Grondeau, Released by Iran earlier this year After being sentenced to five years in prison for “conspiracy against the Islamic republic”.

Iran’s judicial news agency Mizan reported that one of the defendants was sentenced to 6 years in prison for spying on behalf of France, 5 years in prison for conspiring against national security, and 20 years in exile for “intelligence cooperation” with Israel.

The other was sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying for France, 5 years for conspiracy against national security, and 20 years in exile for complicity in intelligence cooperation with Israel.

Under Iranian law, prison sentences are imposed concurrently. It is unclear what “exile” means, but in some cases convicts are sent to remote areas.

Mizan stated that their detention will be deducted from their sentences and that they can object to the decision within 20 days.

France accused Iran of arbitrarily detaining Kohler and Paris and holding them in torture-like conditions. Iran denies the allegations.

Human rights groups say tourists and dual citizens are often detained to gain leverage in diplomatic negotiations but are released when Iran receives something in return.

Release of British-Iranian nationals Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori in 2022After years of detention, it came after months of negotiations that Britain settled debts of around £400 million dating back to the 1970s.

It was suggested that Kohler and Paris could be traded for Mahdieh Esfandiari, who has been held in France since February on charges of encouraging terrorism on social media. Iran has repeatedly said his detention was arbitrary.

Iran is currently thought to be detaining around 20 Europeans, according to the AFP news agency.

They include British couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who were detained in January while traveling in Iran on a motorcycle world tour and later charged with espionage.

Their families say they are innocent and held under “terrible conditions”.

Last week, 18-year-old French-German cyclist Lennart Monterlos was released after an Iranian court acquitted him of espionage charges.