Iran charges French detainees Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris with spying for Israel
Iranian officials have also charged the pair with "conspiracy to overthrow the regime" and "corruption on earth", the diplomatic source and Kohler's sister told AFP.
"All we know is that they have seen a judge who confirmed the three charges," said Kohler's sister.
News of the charges comes a day after a French diplomat was able to visit the two French nationals, whose families had demanded proof that they were alive after Israeli strikes.
The French foreign ministry did not specify where the visit occurred, amid uncertainty over the couple's whereabouts.
The fate of Kohler and Paris had been unknown since Israel targeted Tehran's Evin prison in an air strike last week, before a US-proposed ceasefire between the Middle East foes came into force.
Iran's judiciary said the Israeli strike on the prison had killed at least 79 people.
It has also said the Iranian prison authority transferred inmates out of Evin prison, without specifying their number or identifying them.
Several women prisoners have been transferred to Qarchak prison for women outside Tehran, which has a notorious reputation for its conditions.
01:54
Kohler, 40, and Paris, her 72-year-old partner, have been held in Iran since May 2022 on espionage charges their families reject.
Iran is believed to hold around 20 European nationals, many of whose cases have never been publicised, in what some Western governments including France describe as a strategy of hostage-taking aimed at extracting concessions from the West.
Three Europeans, who have not been identified, have also been arrested in the wake of the current conflict, two of whom are accused of spying for Israel, according to the authorities.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
23 minutes ago
- Euronews
France and Spain join fight to tax luxury air travel for climate funds
France and Spain have joined a coalition of countries pushing to tax private jets and premium class flights to raise money for climate action and sustainable development. The two European nations have joined forces with Kenya, Barbados, Somalia, Benin, Sierra Leone and Antigua and Barbuda. The coalition's goal is 'to increase the number of countries applying taxes on airline tickets, including for luxury travel, and to tax private jets based on best practices,' the French Élysée said in a statement. The initiative was launched on the sidelines of a United Nations development summit in Seville on 30 June. How much money could these taxes raise? A recent study commissioned by the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force estimates that taxing private jet fuel worldwide could generate up to €41 billion annually. Adding levies on first- and business-class tickets could bring in nearly €37 billion more. Combined, the coalition's efforts could unlock over €78 billion per year to support climate resilience and sustainable development projects. The study also suggests that an additional, broader levy on commercial jet fuel could push this total to around €187 billion annually. New sources of finance With many richer countries cutting official development aid for poorer nations, some are looking for new sources of finance, including taxing the most polluting industries. Launched at COP28 in November 2023, the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force was set up to explore new kinds of taxation from polluting sectors that could support developing countries to decarbonise and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Laurence Tubiana, co-lead of the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force Secretariat, said that new levies on premium flyers could 'raise vital funds'. 'In the current context, everybody is pessimistic, saying we cannot do anything. Today's announcement is proof that we can make progress,' Tubiana added. French President Emmanuel Macron said at the summit in Seville that after progress had already been made in the shipping industry, this was a 'huge step forward' for the aviation sector. 'Having Spain (in our premium flyers coalition) is very good news, and we need more and more countries,' he added. 'We need those that benefited from globalisation to contribute more to financing.' Macron urged all possible countries to join this "key" international framework. Why target private jets and premium flights? Aviation accounts for more than 2.5 per cent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, and it remains one of the sectors with the fastest-growing emissions. Private jets are especially polluting. In 2023, they emitted an estimated 19.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, according to a study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) - more than all flights departing London Heathrow that year. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, premium travel has surged. Emissions from private aviation rose by 46 per cent between 2019 and 2023. Premium cabins, including first and business class, have larger seats and more legroom, which means fewer passengers share the emissions from each flight. This drives up the per-passenger carbon footprint dramatically. As a result, first and business class travellers produce up to 3 to 4 times more CO2 per kilometre than those flying economy. 'Flying is the most elite and polluting form of travel, so this is an important step towards ensuring that the binge users of this undertaxed sector are made to pay their fair share,' says Rebecca Newsom, global political lead for Greenpeace International's Stop Drilling Start Paying campaign. A global survey by Greenpeace and Oxfam found that three out of four people support extra taxes on premium flyers because of their outsized impact on the climate.
France 24
39 minutes ago
- France 24
Ten years after Brazil mine disaster, pollution persists
The 2015 dam collapse which killed 19 people was one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters, with survivors saying the Doce River region north of Rio de Janeiro remains heavily polluted. "The entire ecosystem around the river was destroyed," Marcelo Krenak, a leader of the Krenak Indigenous people, told AFP on the sidelines of a hearing in London held this week. The hearing is part of a large-scale legal action brought by claimants seeking compensation from Australian mining giant BHP -- which, at the time of the disaster, had one of its global headquarters in the UK. "My people, the culture, has always been linked to the river," Krenak said, wearing a traditional headdress with striking blue feathers. "The medicinal plants that only existed in the river are contaminated, the soil is contaminated, so you cannot plant, you cannot use the river water for animals," he added. Following a mega-trial that concluded in March, the claimants now await a decision from the British High Court in the coming weeks regarding BHP's liability for the disaster. The Fundao tailings dam at an iron ore mine in Minas Gerais state was managed by Samarco, co-owned by BHP and Brazilian miner Vale. The High Court is already preparing the second phase of the case to determine potential damages and compensation, which could begin in October 2026 if BHP is found liable. 'Terrible tragedy' The company told AFP that "the recovery of the Doce River, the water quality of which had already returned to pre-dam failure levels, remained a focus". Acknowledging the "terrible tragedy", BHP said it is "committed to supporting Samarco to do what's right by the Brazilian people, communities, organisations, and environments affected by the dam failure". BHP maintains that the compensation agreement it reached last year in Brazil -- worth around $31 billion -- provides a resolution. However, a majority of the 620,000 claimants, including 46 municipalities, argue that they are not sufficiently covered by the deal and are instead seeking around £35 billion ($49 billion) in damages. Krenak said the claimants will at a potential future hearing present "visual evidence, photos and videos of what was done, what caused it, and the damage it is causing to this day". The city of Mariana, one of the areas hardest hit by the disaster, is seeking 28 billion Brazilian real ($5 billion) in compensation. "Our hope is that here in London, the municipality will be heard because, in Brazil, we were not heard," Mayor of Mariana, Juliano Duarte, told AFP. Duarte said he believes the British legal system will hold BHP accountable, which could pressure the company to negotiate directly with the claimants. He said the municipality is "open" to negotiation but "will not accept crumbs like those that were offered in Brazil".
France 24
39 minutes ago
- France 24
Italy to issue half million non-EU work visas over next three years
02:02 03/07/2025 Ukraine scrambling for clarity as US downplays halt to arms shipments 03/07/2025 Palestinians mourn director of key Gaza hospital killed in Israeli strike 03/07/2025 French air traffic controllers' strike disrupts early summer season travel 03/07/2025 Dozens still missing after ferry sinks on way to Indonesia's Bali 03/07/2025 Thailand gets third leader this week as king swears in new cabinet 03/07/2025 On the verge of a ceasefire deal in Gaza? 03/07/2025 US pause some weapons deliveries to Ukraine over depleting military stockpiles 03/07/2025 Iran charges two French detainees with 'spying' for Israel 02/07/2025 Thailand-Cambodia border conflict 'instrumentalised, weaponised' for internal political purposes Asia / Pacific
