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3mo ago

France Demands Answers on Missing Cyclist as Iran Brings Death-Penalty Charges

France has brought a consular protection case to the International Court of Justice in response to new death-penalty charges against two detained nationals

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France's Delegate Minister for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad Laurent Saint-Martin listens to the speech of France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, after a meeting with European partners to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Quai d'Orsay) in Paris, France June 19, 2025. JULIEN DE ROSA/Pool via REUTERS/File photo
Some Europeans still visit Iran despite official warnings to stay away
Lennart Monterlos had said that his decision to enter Iran was “the subject of lively debate” in his family

Overview

  • Eighteen-year-old French-German cyclist Lennart Monterlos has been missing in Iran since June 16 with no confirmation from Iranian authorities on his whereabouts.
  • The French government has maintained direct contact with Monterlos’s family and warned nationals against traveling to Iran based on concerns of deliberate hostage-taking.
  • France’s Foreign Ministry has formally demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris after Tehran surfaced fresh espionage charges against them.
  • Kohler and Paris have been detained in Evin Prison since May 2022 and now face potential death sentences for alleged spying for Israel’s Mossad and related conspiracy offences.
  • Human rights groups and Western governments accuse Iran of using foreign detainees as leverage, with around 20 European nationals currently held on espionage-related charges.