@telitely007 #french #iran🇮🇷 #foryoupage #jamaicantiktok🇯🇲viral #africa ♬ original sound - Telitely

🎶 Liberté: Freedom in Everyday Life

Gilbert Montagné’s 1984 hit “Liberté” is a joyful anthem celebrating freedom in everyday life — from walking the streets and writing songs to carefree moments like singing in the rain — portraying liberty as both playful and deeply human. Though not overtly political, its message of resilience and rebirth has made it timeless, resonating whenever people break free from hardship. That’s why the refrain “Liberté, liberté…” feels especially poignant today, echoing beyond concert halls into real events like the release of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, turning their long-awaited freedom into a living verse of Montagné’s song.

🎶 🇫🇷🕊️⚖️🤝🌍📢🏛️✨🌟💬 🔊 Liberté - Gilbert Montagné

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Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, detained in Iran since May 2022, have finally been freed after more than three years.

They are now under French protection in Tehran, though their return to France is still pending.

A Long-Awaited Release

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the release of Cécile Kohler, 41, a high school teacher, and Jacques Paris, 72, a retired mathematics teacher, who had been imprisoned in Iran since May 2022. The couple was accused of espionage, charges that France has consistently denounced as fabricated and politically motivated.

The pair were held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, enduring harsh conditions and what their lawyer described as treatment amounting to torture. Their detention lasted 1,277 days, marked by forced confessions broadcast on Iranian state television and lengthy sentences of 17 and 20 years handed down in 2023.

Relief for Families and France

For their families, the news brought immense relief. Kohler’s mother, Mireille, said she “finally managed to cry” after years of anxiety. In Kohler’s hometown of Soultz-Haut-Rhin, residents gathered outside the town hall, where a banner calling for her freedom had hung for months.

Macron hailed the release as “a first step,” emphasizing that negotiations continue to secure their full and definitive return to France. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that the couple is now safe at the French Embassy in Tehran and “in good health”Radio France Internationale.

Diplomatic Context

Observers note that the release coincides with the conditional freeing of Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian student detained in France earlier this year, suggesting a possible prisoner exchange. Iran’s foreign ministry described Kohler and Paris’s release as an act of “Islamic clemency,” though they remain under a travel ban and surveillance until further judicial proceedingsYahoo News UK+1.

France has repeatedly accused Iran of state hostage-taking, arguing that foreign nationals are used as leverage in diplomatic negotiations. Kohler and Paris were the last two French citizens known to be held in Iran, marking a significant moment in France’s efforts to bring its nationals home.

What Comes Next

Though freed from prison, Kohler and Paris are not yet free to leave Iran. Their lawyer warned that this “conditional freedom” could last months or even years if negotiations stall. For now, they remain at the French Embassy in Tehran, awaiting the next step in their journey home.

#Freedom 🕊️ #Justice ⚖️ #Hope 🌟 #Diplomacy 🤝 #France 🇫🇷