France has filed a case against Iran at the UN's top court over two French citizens held by Tehran for the past three years, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said.
The announcement comes as Iranian negotiators are on Friday set to meet their counterparts from the UK, France and Germany in Turkey for talks on Iran's nuclear programme. A meeting scheduled for earlier this month was scrapped after Iran-US nuclear talks were postponed.
Cecile Kohler, 40, a literature teacher from eastern France, and her partner Jacques Paris, in his seventies, were arrested on May 7, 2022, during the last day of a tourist trip to Iran. They have been held on spying charges, which they vehemently deny.
In the case filed at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), France accuses Iran of "violating its obligation to provide consular protection" to the pair, who "have been held hostage ... detained in appalling conditions that amount to torture", Mr Barrot told France 2 television on Friday.
They are among several Europeans still held by Iran in what some countries, including France, regard as a strategy of hostage-taking to extract concessions from the West at a time of tension over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Ms Kohler and Mr Paris are the last known French detainees in Iran and their families say they face tough conditions in jail.
French consular representatives in Iran have been allowed to visit them briefly four times. Paris has said that is insufficient to guarantee their rights under international law and the 1963 Vienna Convention on consular relations. Under the convention, consular representatives should be allowed to inspect detention conditions and provide legal support.
Court procedures at the ICJ are expected to take up to two years. “It’s important to re-establish the truth about the little regard Iran has for international law,” a French diplomatic source said.
Paris also hopes to use the case to put pressure on Tehran over its treatment of the detained French citizens. “Where Iran tries to put pressure on France through its hostage diplomacy, we respond with legal pressure,” the source added.
The family has welcomed the ICJ case. "We welcome this action at the highest level of the state. It is a major turning point, because the fundamental rights of Cecile and Jacques have been flouted from the start," Naomi Kohler, Cecile's sister, said last month after Mr Barrot first announced his intention to launch legal proceedings against Iran. "This is an avenue we had suggested and we hope that it will move the matter forward."
The family's last phone call with Cecile was on March 4. "It's very difficult for us because we feel like she's starting to lose hope," her sister said.
France, as well as other European countries, have in recent years toughened their stance against Iran's human rights breaches and nuclear programme. Relations deteriorated further when it was reported that Iran was supporting Russia in its war on Ukraine, a western ally.
Four rounds of nuclear talks between the US and Iran, mediated by Oman, have been held since April 12. Iran has suggested it could accept to forgo highly enriched uranium in exchange for sanctions relief. If talks fail, European countries, including France, have threatened to reimpose sanctions on Tehran in October.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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Specs – Taycan 4S
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
