France – France 24, Apr. 08, 2026
Two French nationals released after nearly four years in Iranian detention returned home on Wednesday, vowing to speak out about the “daily horror” of their imprisonment, as President Emmanuel Macron hailed the end of their ordeal.
Two French nationals who returned home Wednesday after being held for almost four years in Iran said they had never given up hope and would speak out about the “daily horror” of their Iranian prison.
Cecile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, landed in Paris earlier Wednesday, with President Emmanuel Macron hailing “the end of a terrible ordeal” before he greeted them at the Elysée Palace.
The pair, arrested on espionage charges their families have denied, were imprisoned for three years before being sent to house arrest at the French embassy last. Their fate became even more uncertain after US-Israeli strikes on Iran started on February 28.
They finally left war-torn Iran early Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump threatened“complete demolition” of the Islamic republic if it did not reopen a vital waterway, before he announced a two-week suspension of bombing later in the day.
