Freed French nationals return home from Iran and prepare to meet Macron

French citizens Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris returned to Paris on April 8 after years of detention in Iran and are set to meet President Emmanuel Macron.

After nearly four years in custody on espionage charges, the two were welcomed by their families upon arrival before heading for a meeting with Macron at the Élysée Palace, Caliber.Az reports via French media. 

Their release came a day earlier, following more than three and a half years in prison and five months under house arrest at the French embassy in Tehran.

The plane carrying the freed nationals landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at around 9 a.m., where they were received by representatives of the French Foreign Ministry’s crisis centre.

Following their reunion with relatives, they were scheduled to be taken to the Élysée Palace for an official audience with the French president.

Macron announced their release on April 7, calling it “a relief for all of us,” and expressed gratitude to Oman for its role in facilitating the negotiations.

Kohler, a literature teacher, and Paris, a former teacher, were detained on May 7, 2022, on the final day of their trip to Iran.

They were held in custody, including at the notorious Evin Prison, and in October 2025 were sentenced to 20 and 17 years in prison, respectively. In November 2025, they were released from prison but remained barred from leaving Iran.

By Jeyhun Aghazada