In an October 2024 interview, Noemie shares how her life and her family’s were turned upside down after her sister, Cecile, was wrongfully arrested in Iran in May 2022. The Kohler family now dedicates all their time to campaigning for Cecile’s release and the release of other French hostages in Iran. Noemie describes the hardships Cecile faces while incarcerated in section 209 of Evin prison, known as “the kingdom of fear,” and the rare, brief phone calls they have, which are always under surveillance. Although Noemie has faith in the French government, especially after it successfully secured the release of several French hostages from Iran, she has little information regarding any progress in bringing Cecile home.
How have you/the family been coping with Cecile’s prolonged unlawful imprisonment in Iran?
The wrongful arrest of Cecile changed our lives. The fight to get her released is part of our everyday life. It is a full-time job to deal with the different actions to campaign for her release but also for the whole group of French hostages in Iran.
How do you deal with & overcome the frustration when things don’t seem to be moving forward?
This is the hardest part. We see that time is passing by without any change in her situation, in her conditions of detention. After 2 ½ years, we still have very little information about her case and about her real health condition.
What are the toughest parts & main challenges of this journey to free Cecile?
The main challenge is to get the public’s attention. We have been campaigning for 2 years now, and we work very hard to go public. However, we realize every day that the situation is still mainly unknown. Sometimes, it is complicated to keep focused and efficient while the fight is exhausting and getting very few results.
Are you getting the support you need from organizations, media, and others? How could they help more?
Organizations, NGO are doing a great job. Some media, some journalists are very reliable and follow the case. But most of them are hard to get concerned about the situation. Something very simple for national media would be to mention the hostage in every subject aired about Iran, to remind that several French people are still captives of the regime, in very harsh conditions. It is a little effort that would help us very much. We would appreciate more communication from the government, or other politicians and officials whose voice is way louder than ours.
When was the last time you were able to talk to your sister? How was she holding up? Do you have any kind of contact with her now?
Last time I spoke to her was Monday the 18th of September, for 7 minutes. Cecile is really impressive, she is very strong and she keeps a positive spirit. After 2 ½ years, she is kept in section 209 of Evin prison, which is a terrifying place, “the kingdom of fear” to use the terms of another hostage who was kept there too. She is always under high surveillance and her calls are rare (less than one per month), short (about 5 min), and she cannot speak freely about her health or the conditions of her detention. Her calls are more signs of life than real communications.
Do you think the French government is making any progress on her case?
We don’t have any information about this. We have to keep faith in our government, in its efforts to bring back our loved ones, it is not always easy when we ignore almost everything. However, we had many signs that the subject is taken very seriously by French authorities, plus the recent release of Louis Arnaud.
Is there anything else you’d like to share or talk about?
A very important thing for me through this difficult journey is the solidarity and the natural bond between hostages’ families, and former hostages that keep fighting for the one who are left behind. It is like a second family for me. It gives me strength to keep going in addition to advice and experience sharing.
