Two French nationals have been charged with trumped up cahreges of spying for Israel’s Mossad

Cécile Kohler,40 and Jacques Paris,72 now face accusations of espionage for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, “conspiracy to overthrow the regime,” and “corruption on earth” which are all charges that now carry the death penalty in Iran. A French diplomatic source and Kohler’s sister confirmed the new allegations Wednesday to AFP, though Tehran has not officially announced them.

Kohler, who heads France’s largest teachers’ union federation, and Paris, a retired mathematics teacher, were arrested May 7, 2022, on their final day of what began as an Easter holiday tourist trip to Iran. Kohler had dreamed of visiting the country for years, while Paris had traveled there previously.

They pair followed a standard tourist itinerary and sent daily photos to their family WhatsApp group until their last communication that morning. When Kohler failed to return to work the following week, concerned colleagues contacted her family. Shortly after, France’s foreign ministry informed her parents of the arrest, though authorities provided no details about the circumstances.

Both detainees are held separately in Ward 209 of Evin prison, a notorious high-security section controlled by Iran’s intelligence services that operates outside the standard prison system. Prisoners there face isolation and torture, according to Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, who documented the conditions in her book “White Torture.”

Five months after their arrest, Iranian state television aired forced confessions from both prisoners.

 “I am Cécile Kohler,” she said in the broadcast. “I am an intelligence and operations agent at the DGSE [France’s Directorate General for External Security]… We were in Iran to prepare the ground for the revolution and the overthrow of the regime of Islamic Iran.” Paris stated that “our goal at the French security service is to pressure the government of Iran.”

Prison conditions for the remain severe. Lights stay on 24 hours daily in their cells, and they’re permitted outside for just 30 minutes two or three times weekly. Both sleep on the floor and have limited access to books sent by relatives. In three years, they’ve received only four consular visits and rare, heavily monitored phone calls to family members, according to the report.

Iran holds approximately 20 European nationals, many whose cases remain unpublicized.  Between 2023 and 2025, at least five French citizens were released after months or years of Iranian detention, though authorities insist no concessions were made. French President Emmanuel Macron has described them as “state hostages.”