Overview
- Cécile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, were released from Evin Prison and are safe at France’s mission in Tehran, with French officials saying they appear in good health.
- Iran’s foreign ministry said they were granted conditional release on bail and will stay under supervision until the next stage of judicial proceedings.
- President Emmanuel Macron called the development a first step, and the French ambassador said Macron spoke with the pair by videoconference as diplomacy continues for their return.
- The move coincides with France granting bail to Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari, whom Tehran says is now at its embassy in Paris, with multiple reports linking the cases to a potential swap.
- The two were arrested in May 2022 and were recently given preliminary sentences of 20 years for Kohler and 17 for Paris after closed-door trials that France has condemned as arbitrary.