April 7 (UPI) -- Two French people held in Iran for nearly four years have been allowed to leave the country and return home, French authorities announced Tuesday.
"Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and on their way to French territory, after three and a half years of detention in Iran. This is a relief for all of us and obviously for their families," French President Emmanuel Macron said on X. "Thank you to the Omani authorities for their mediation efforts, to the State services, and to the citizens who mobilized tirelessly and thus contributed to their return."
The couple, both teachers, were convicted of espionage after a trial the French government said was "completely unfounded" and "arbitrary."
Kohler, 41, is a high school literature teacher, and her partner, Paris, is a retired teacher in his 70s. They were arrested during a tourist trip to Iran in 2022. They were imprisoned in the Evin prison, which is where political prisoners and dissidents are kept.
They were allowed four consular visits over the three years after their arrest. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said their conditions were like "torture."
