Iran: support committees for French detainees call for coordinated European action

According to the French authorities, seven French people are currently imprisoned in Iran.

Among them, Cécile Kohler, a teacher and trade unionist, and her companion Jacques Paris.

In response to these detentions, the support committees of the French detained in Iran called on Monday for coordinated action on the part of European countries.

"It must be recognized that the (French) negotiation strategy pursued until now has not yielded any significant results", they underline in an open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron.

In addition to this couple arrested in early May while sightseeing in Iran, there is Franco-Iranian researcher Fariba Adelkhah, arrested in June 2019 and then sentenced to five years in prison for undermining national security, as well as Benjamin Brière, arrested in May 2020 and sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison for espionage.

“It is high time that Europe speaks with one voice” hostage in Iran.

Seven or possibly more, as we know from experience that not all cases are disclosed in the understandable hope of facilitating talks with the authorities in Tehran,” the letter writers wrote.

They fear that the list will grow “since the capture of foreigners has become a real public policy in Iran”.

“It is high time for Europe to speak with one voice”

They also ask Emmanuel Macron "to reconsider" the diplomatic strategy "to put an end to the ordeal of our relatives, our colleagues, our fellow citizens, and the iniquity of this barbaric form of blackmail diplomacy that Iran practices" .

They note that most of France's European partners also have nationals taken hostage by the Tehran authorities.

“It is high time that Europe speaks with one voice (…) and makes the pursuit of any form of dialogue and relationship with Iran conditional on the immediate and unconditional release of its hostages”.

They urge Emmanuel Macron to seize the European Council "so that with a single gesture of solidarity the Member States of the European Union recall their ambassador to Tehran and make the return of their nationals to their homes the prerequisite for any normal diplomatic relations".

“It is not only about their lives, the dignity of our respective countries, but also international security,” they conclude.