French Teachers Jailed in Iran on Espionage Charges

French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris arrived in Paris on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, following nearly four years of detention in Iran. The couple, both teachers, landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport shortly before 9:00 a.m. After traveling via Azerbaijan under diplomatic escort.

Upon their arrival, they were met on the tarmac by teams from the French foreign ministry’s crisis center. President Emmanuel Macron announced the release of the pair on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, and stated that the couple was scheduled to meet with him later on Wednesday.

Detention and Legal Proceedings

Kohler, 41, and Paris, 72, were arrested on May 7, 2022, on the final day of a trip to Iran. While they were charged with espionage, their families maintained that the trip was purely for tourism.

The couple was held in Iranian custody, including time spent at Tehran’s Evin prison. In October 2025, an Iranian court conducted a closed-door trial and sentenced the pair on espionage charges, alleging they had spied for France and Israel. Jacques Paris was sentenced to 17 years in prison, and Cécile Kohler was sentenced to 20 years.

Their families have characterized these charges as fabricated. Despite the sentences, the pair was released the following month, in November 2025.

House Arrest and Diplomatic Efforts

Although released from prison in November 2025, Kohler and Paris were barred from leaving Iran. For the following five months, they remained under house arrest at the French embassy in Tehran.

Their situation became increasingly uncertain after February 28, 2026, when US-Israeli strikes on Iran began. The couple eventually departed Iran at dawn on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, as part of a diplomatic convoy accompanied by the French ambassador.

President Macron thanked the Omani authorities for their mediation efforts in securing the release of the two citizens.

Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and on their way to France, after three and a half years in detention in Iran

Emmanuel Macron via X

On Wednesday, April 8, 2026, President Macron described the return of the teachers as the end of a terrible ordeal and expressed that he was extremely happy to see them arrive on French soil.

The release was celebrated by the couple’s supporters and family members. Anne-Laure Paris, the daughter of Jacques Paris, told AFP that the family was waiting for their return to France to welcome them.