Overview
- France’s foreign minister said the two are safe at the ambassador’s residence in Tehran and that a French team has been dispatched to accompany them.
- Iran’s foreign ministry stated they were released on bail under judicial supervision and will remain under surveillance pending further steps.
- Kohler and Paris were sentenced in mid-October to 20 and 17 years on espionage-related charges, which they have consistently denied.
- Families and lawyers hailed an immense relief after what they call 1,277 days of arbitrary detention and pledged to pursue justice.
- Their case has unfolded against a backdrop of Iranian detentions of Western nationals and discussions that included a potential swap involving Mahdieh Esfandiari, after France withdrew an ICJ filing in September.