France – La Croix, January 31, 2025
The family of Cécile Kohler, a teacher detained in Iran for 1,000 days, called on Emmanuel Macron on Friday to intervene for her release, during a rally in her hometown of Soultz, in southern Alsace.
“It’s been 1,000 days since you were taken hostage. Why?” said Cécile Kohler’s mother, Mireille Kohler, addressing around 300 people gathered in front of Soultz’s town hall, a town of 7,000 inhabitants near Mulhouse.
Cécile Kohler, 40, was arrested on May 7, 2022, on the last day of a tourist trip in Iran, where the authorities accuse her of espionage.
Addressing both the French and Iranian presidents, Mrs. Kohler said, “Messrs. Macron and Pezeshkian, please, I ask you to reach an agreement and free our children Cécile, Jacques, and Olivier,” three French nationals currently detained by Tehran.
Jacques Paris, Cécile Kohler’s partner, was arrested with her, while Olivier Grondeau, detained for over two years, became known to the public in early January.
Another Frenchman, Louis Arnaud, a 36-year-old consultant, was arrested in Tehran in September 2022, when protests for the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement began. He was released in June 2024.
“We’d really like to meet with Emmanuel Macron. We wonder why he hasn’t met with us yet, because we’ve already met with several ministers without issue, and he’s taking a bit longer,” said Mrs. Kohler to AFP. “I think he’s the one who holds the key.”
Emmanuel Macron will be nearby on Sunday, as he will be in Colmar for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Haut-Rhin prefecture on February 2, 1945. However, no meeting with Cécile Kohler’s family has been announced so far.
“Nightmare”
Mireille Kohler shared that she was able to speak with her daughter for 13 minutes on Sunday.
“We know she’s not doing well; she tries not to show it, but we know she’s in very bad shape,” she said, adding that Cécile Kohler “is more or less aware” of the support campaign for her.
“But it’s an extremely tough ordeal… As Cécile once told us, ‘I know this is hard for you, but you’re not the ones locked up,’” her mother said, wearing a T-shirt with her daughter’s face and the words “Freedom for Cécile.”
