France slams Iran for publishing ‘confession’ video of two French citizens accused of spying
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Alaina
- . October 7, 2022
- . Update: November 11, 2022 12:38 am
The French government has slammed the Islamic Republic of Iran for publishing a ‘confession’ video of a French couple arrested five months ago on suspicion of spying.
Recently, Iran’s state television aired what it said were “confessions” by a French couple, identified as Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris. Kohler said in the video while wearing a hijab, “I am Cecile Kohler, I am an intelligence and operations agent at the DGSE (Directorate General for External Security). We were in Iran to prepare the ground for the revolution and the overthrow of the regime of Islamic Iran.” Kohler was heard saying that she was an “agent of the DGSE, French intelligence service.” Subsequently, the French government condemned the act as “shameful, revolting and unacceptable.” The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman of France, Anne-Claire Legendre, said, “Kohler and Paris have been arbitrarily detained in Iran since May 2022, and such acts are state hostages.”
The French authorities reportedly said, “The staging of their alleged confessions is outrageous, appalling, unacceptable and contrary to international law.”
The duo were arrested in May for allegedly fomenting “insecurity” in Iran. Iran’s intelligence ministry accused them of spying.
Read | Iran Schoolgirls Remove Hijabs and Shout Slogans Amid Anti-Hijab Protests
The Foreign Minister of France, Catherine Colonna, last week summoned Iran’s top diplomat in Paris. Colonna said that she expected the European Union to impose sanctions in the coming weeks on Iran.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries have deteriorated further in recent weeks as talks to revive the nuclear deal have stalled. World powers, including France, have repeatedly accused Iran’s clerical rulers of holding their citizens arbitrarily. Human Rights Groups based outside Iran have repeatedly accused the Islamic nation of extracting “confessions” from detained foreigners.
Recently, the Islamic nation is gripped with massive protests over the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini. Massive protests have taken place in various districts and cities of Iran.
