Paris, France:
A Frenchman held in Iran since October 2022 revealed his identity on Monday in an audio message broadcast on a French radio station, saying he was becoming increasingly exhausted by his ordeal. Olivier Grondeau, 34, was previously identified only by his first name and French authorities had not released details about his case.
In an audio message broadcast on France Inter on Monday, Grondeau fully identified himself and warned that he and the other two French prisoners held in Iran were “exhausted”.
The other two French nationals currently detained in Iran are teacher Cecile Kohler and her partner, Jacques Paris, who were arrested in May 2022. They are accused of fomenting labor protests, accusations their families have vehemently denied.
“You, who have the power to influence this matter, hear this truth,” he said in the audio message, apparently addressed to French authorities.
“Cecile's strength, Jacques' strength, Olivier's strength – it's all running out,” he said. “Your responsibility is being called upon to ensure the survival of three people,” he said.
Grondeau was arrested in Shiraz, southern Iran, in October 2022 and sentenced to five years in prison for “conspiracy against the Islamic republic,” his mother Therese Grondeau told France Inter.
His family rejects the allegations, describing Grondeau as a passionate fan of Persian poetry who traveled to Iran on a tourist visa as part of a world tour.
On Friday, France called on Iran's ambassador to protest Tehran's arrest of the trio, describing them as “state hostages”.
Their “situation is intolerable, with undignified detention conditions that for some constitute torture under international law,” the French Foreign Ministry said.
The tensions have arisen after an Italian journalist, Cecilia Sala, who had been arrested and jailed in Iran since December, was released and returned to Rome earlier this month.
Her quick release – in contrast to the lengthy detention of French nationals – was the result of “intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels” by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, her office said.
Foreign ministries whose nationals have been detained by Iran are known to sometimes advise families to keep a low profile and not publicly announce the arrest of their loved ones, in the hope that the situation can be resolved behind the scenes.
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