Iran Sentences Two French Citizens to 63 Years Imprisonment on Espionage Charges Amid Diplomatic Tensions

An Iranian court has imposed sentences totaling 63 years imprisonment on two French nationals for alleged espionage and national security violations, according to a Tuesday announcement from Iran's judiciary. This decision will likely intensify the existing tensions between Tehran and Paris.

Fars, a semi-official news agency, identified the individuals as Cecile Kohler and Chuck Paris. The pair have been detained since 2022 on allegations that French authorities have consistently described as "unjustified and unfounded." The judiciary's Mizan news agency also reported the sentencing without disclosing the names of the French citizens.

The prison sentences, which can be challenged in Iran's Supreme Court within a 20-day window, come as Tehran increases pressure on French authorities regarding the release of an Iranian national.

Tehran's Revolutionary Court, notorious for conducting closed proceedings where defendants often lack access to the evidence allegedly gathered against them, issued the preliminary verdict as reported by Mizan. The court claims the two were working for French intelligence services and collaborating with Israel.

According to Mizan, each defendant received sentences exceeding 30 years. Typically in such cases, convicts serve only the longest individual term among their multiple charges.

Iranian media reported that Kohler and Paris were arrested after meeting with protesting teachers and participating in an anti-government demonstration. France has identified them as a teachers' union official and her partner who were vacationing in Iran. Concerns for their wellbeing intensified following the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict in June, during which Israel bombed a notorious Tehran prison.

In September, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that Iran was nearing a prisoner exchange agreement with France. Mahdieh Esfandiari, a translator residing in Lyon since 2018, was arrested in February on terrorism-related charges for alleged Telegram posts about Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that precipitated the Gaza conflict, according to French media reports.

The French government announced last week that Iran had released Lennart Monterlos, a teenage French-German cyclist who disappeared in June while traveling across the country. Iran has not officially acknowledged his release.

Iran has established a pattern of detaining dual nationals and Westerners to use them as leverage in diplomatic negotiations.