Families of detained French nationals in Iran reveal they have been moved to secret locations after Evin prison bombing
The couple -- Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris -- were reportedly moved to unknown locations after surviving explosions at Tehran's Evin prison during Israeli strikes on June 23, according to their families.
'Iranian authorities don't tell (us) where they are being held,' Cécile's sister Noémie told Iran International yesterday.
Noémie said that since the Israeli strike, they have had only one consular visit, on July one, when the family was relieved to learn that they were "at least still alive.'
She said that the couple had been held in Ward 209 — which operates under the oversight of Iran's Intelligence\\\\\\\\\\\\ Ministry — at the time of the strike, and that they had remained there for more than three years.
'They were held in Ward 209 for more than three years,' she said. 'They were in solitary confinement for several months.'
The Ward has been called a 'prison within a prison' by the Human Rights Watch, with the whole area being exempt from judicial oversight, subjecting prisoners to long periods of arbitrary solitary confinement, denial of consular access and extremely harsh punishment – even torture.
The couple were moved shortly after the blasts. 'We understood (Cécile) was transferred to Qarchak prison,' Noémie said.
'She was transferred to Qarchak prison for 24 hours. Then, she was transferred to an undisclosed place — she was blindfolded so she doesn't know where she is being held right now.'
'Jacques was transferred to an undisclosed location right after the bombings,' she added.
The family has not had direct contact with either of them since May 28.
Noémie said Iranian authorities recently charged the couple with 'spying for Israel,' 'conspiracy to overthrow the regime,' and 'corruption on Earth' — charges that carry the death penalty under Iranian law.
'We don't have more specific information. We only know a judge told them the charges,' she said.
She further said the couple is not allowed independent legal representation and that 'nobody has access to their case file.'
France has blasted the detention, calling it 'hostage diplomacy.' The Iranian military, more specifically the IRGC, has a history of arbitrary detentions of foreign nationals, in particular Western nationals, which France along with other European nations say has been Iran's policy of pressuring Western countries.
UNI ANV SS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
30 minutes ago
- United News of India
Rajnath to inaugurate Controllers' Conference 2025
New Delhi, July 6 (UNI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the Controllers' Conference 2025 tomorrow, hosted by Defence Accounts Department (DAD). A flagship forum for policy dialogue, strategic review, and institutional innovation, the Controllers' Conference brings together top leadership from DAD, civil services, academia, think tanks, and stakeholders across the defence and finance sectors. It serves as a vital platform for evaluating challenges, initiating reform, and advancing the role of financial governance in defence preparedness, a Defence Ministry statement said. The theme of this year's conference, 'Transforming Financial Advice, Payment, Audit and Accounting through Defence Finance and Economics,' reflects a paradigm shift within the department repositioning DAD from a finance and accounts body to a future-ready institution focused on Defence Finance and Economics. This transformation, guided by the strategic vision articulated by the Defence Minister on October 1, last year, is internally driven, inclusive, and aligned with emerging national security imperatives. The transition is anchored in DAD's new mission statement and motto 'Alert, Agile, Adaptive' which will be formally released during the event. The conference from July 7 to 9, will feature eight high-level business sessions (Manan Satras), covering areas such as budget and accounts reform, internal audit restructuring, collaborative research, pricing innovation, and capacity building. These sessions will explore the evolving role of Integrated Financial Advisors (IFAs) in balancing fiscal prudence with strategic support for a competitive and self-reliant defence industry. Managing a defence budget of Rs 26.8 lakh crore, including Rs 1.7 lakh crore dedicated to pensions, DAD plays a pivotal role in payroll, pension disbursement, audit, procurement pricing, and strategic financial advice. Over the past year, the department has made significant strides in digital transformation. Since the last Controllers' Conference, DAD has conducted 206 outreach programmes and established over 200 service centres across India strengthening last-mile delivery and stakeholder engagement. Training and upskilling remain central to the transformation, with institutions like NADFM Pune and CENTRAD Delhi driving officer education in defence economics, data analytics, and digital resource management. DAD's audit functions are also evolving into advanced Management Information Systems (MIS) that provide early risk indicators, performance benchmarks, and decision-support frameworks. Aligned with the Defence Ministry's declaration of 2025 as the Year of Reform, the conference is expected to yield actionable outcomes that will fortify India's defence financial architecture—driven by Atmanirbhar Bharat, and committed to maximum governance with minimum government. The deliberations will lay a robust fiscal foundation to strengthen national defence capabilities and ensure that financial systems are agile, responsive, and strategically aligned with India's long-term security goals. UNI RBE ARN
India.com
32 minutes ago
- India.com
12000 KM range, 40 tonne payload, armed with BrahMos; India's deal with Russia for this bomber is bad news for Pakistan and China due to..., name is…
New Delhi: In view of the aggressive stance of Pakistan and China on the border, India is engaged in strengthening its defense system. For this, India had made a deal with Russia for the most dangerous Tu-160M bomber. However, their delivery is getting delayed. Why is Tu-160M bomber special? India had made a deal with Russia to lease the Tu-160M bomber 'White Swan'. Along with this, there was also an agreement to equip it with Indian BrahMos missile. However, due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, its delivery is getting delayed. As soon as this bomber joins the Indian fleet, the panic on the border of Pakistan and China will increase because this bomber is very dangerous and neither Pakistan nor China has a bomber to compete with it. What are the features of Tu-160M bomber? The speed of Tu-160M is 2,200 km/hour. Its range is 12,000 kilometers, that too without refueling. Its payload capacity is 40 tonnes and it is used by the Russian army. The most important thing about this deal was that it planned to unify India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with the Tu-160M. This would have given India the unique ability to launch the world's fastest cruise missile from a state-of-the-art supersonic aircraft. This deal would also strengthen technology transfer, mission readiness and strategic self-reliance. Why is the deal stuck now? Russia now needs Tu-160M aircraft itself to maintain its strategic capabilities. The Kazan Aviation Plant, where these aircraft are manufactured, are now under extreme pressure due to wartime demands and Western sanctions. Shortages of high-tech components and electronics have slowed production. Recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian airbases have shown that the Tu-160M has now become a core asset of Russian national security. Russia is now hesitant to supply these aircraft even to a close partner like India. Strategic balance and Indian Air Force India's global outlook today rests on strategic balance. India maintains decades-old defense ties with Russia, but is also deeply connected with countries like the US, France, Israel and Japan. In such a situation, acquiring a high-profile weapon like the Tu-160M from Russia could increase diplomatic tensions with Western countries. Especially at a time when Russia is struggling with Western pressure and sanctions. The Indian Air Force currently relies mainly on fighter aircraft which are suitable for medium-range strike missions. But, the lack of long-range aerial strike capability is a drawback in strategic balance. Aircraft like the TU-160M can strike deep into another country, without crossing its borders. Countries like the US, Russia and China already have long-term strategic bomber fleets.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Ship attacked in Red Sea near Yemen amid ongoing regional tensions
A ship came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen by armed men firing guns and launching rocket-propelled grenades, a group overseen by the British military said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as tensions remain high in the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and after the Iran-Israel war and airstrikes by the United States targeting Iranian nuclear sites. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said that an armed security team on the ship had returned fire and that the situation is ongoing. Authorities are investigating, it said. Yemen's Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees USD 1 trillion of goods move through it annually. The Houthis paused attacks in a self-imposed ceasefire until the US launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March. That ended weeks later and the Houthis haven't attacked a vessel, though they have continued occasional missile attacks targeting Israel. Meanwhile, a wider, decadelong war in Yemen between the Houthis and the country's exiled government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, remains in a stalemate. Pirates from Somalia also have operated in the region, though typically they've sought to capture vessels either to rob or ransom their crews.
