France has condemned a video which aired on Iranian television that claims to show confessions by two French citizens it calls "state hostages".
The video, released on Thursday by the state-run Irna news agency, showed Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who are union members associated with France’s National Federation of Education, Culture and Vocational Training.
The pair were arrested five months ago for allegedly seeking to stir labour unrest during teachers' strikes.
In the video, Ms Kohler said she was an "agent of the DGSE", the French intelligence service.
She said herself and Mr Paris were in Iran "to prepare the conditions for the revolution and the overthrow of the Iranian Islamist regime" and had planned to finance strikes and demonstrations and even use weapons "to fight against the police".
The French Foreign Ministry issued an unusually harshly-worded statement in response.
"Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris have been arbitrarily detained in Iran since May 2022 and as such are state hostages," it said.
"The staging of their supposed confessions is shameful, revolting, unacceptable and contrary to international law."
It was the first time the ministry had described French citizens in detention in Iran as "hostages" in a written statement, and the first time the pair had been officially identified by France.
The clip resembled other videos Iran has forced prisoners to make. In 2020, one report suggested that over the past decade, authorities had broadcast at least 355 coerced confessions.
The release comes as Iran grapples with a new wave of women-led protests that erupted on September 16 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
"These supposed confessions, extracted under duress, are just as baseless as the reasons given for their arbitrary detention," the foreign ministry in France said.
"Such manipulations and practices worthy of the show trials of the worst dictatorial regimes will not distract international attention from the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people."
Ms Kohler and Mr Paris have been detained since May 7.
Later that month, Iran said it had arrested two French citizens who had entered the country on tourist visas.
Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Jetour T1 specs
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Palestine and Israel - live updates
A cheaper choice
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Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
