Hundreds of friends and families of the French citizens jailed in Iran gathered in Paris on Saturday to call for the release of the arrested French citizens.
According to the French foreign ministry, seven French citizens are currently in Iranian prisons, alongside dozens of foreign nationals, some of which were allegedly accused of espionage by the Iranian government.
Footage shows protesters gathering at Trocadero Square, central Paris overlooking the Eiffel Tower to call for their release.
Family members of Louis Arnaud, Benjamin Briere, Cecile Kohler and Fariba Adelkhah and their supporters were seen holding banners calling for ‘freedom for the hostages in Iran’ alongside the arrested photos.
“We are victims of injustice. We’re angry, we’re desperate, we’re tired, we’re exhausted and we’re going through all kinds of states,” said Blandine, the sister of French citizen Benjamin Briere who was arrested in Iran in May 2020.
“She left in May of last year for a vacation. She had wanted to visit Iran for many years because Iran is a beautiful country. Many people know it and many people want to visit it. It is normal. And she went to Iran during the Easter school vacations last year to finally make her dream come true, and that was it,” said Pascal Kohler, the father of Cecile Kohler who was detained in Iran in May 2022, adding “She was arrested, we don’t know under what conditions,” told Pascal Kohler, the father of Cecile Kohler who was detained in Iran in May 2022.
Earlier in November, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna had telephone talks with her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, when she had demanded Tehran the “immediate release” of the seven French citizens by Tehran.