France – Sud Ouest, Sept. 14, 2025
French hostage Jacques Paris, held since May 7, 2022, was able to speak briefly with his family on Saturday, September 13, 2025. His sister, Catherine Paris, who lives in La Rochelle, shared the news.
Jacques Paris is alive. The 72-year-old retired mathematics professor, suspected of espionage by Iran and held hostage since May 7, 2022, was able to call one of his daughters, Anne-Laure, on Saturday morning. The call took place around 9:30 a.m. and lasted nine minutes. At the same time and under similar conditions, his partner, Cécile Kohler, who was arrested the same day, was also able to contact her family.
“We hadn’t had any sign of life since July 1,” Catherine Paris said. “On that day, he was able to leave a voice message, and the French ambassador in Tehran was able to visit him. Jacques is alive. He remains detained under very difficult psychological conditions. He has been in isolation for sixty-five days, probably since the Evin prison was bombed and they were taken. He mentioned that he was allowed out two or three times a week into a sort of pit—‘that’s the word he used’—with just two square meters of sky.”
