{"id":329711,"date":"2025-03-22T15:45:17","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T14:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=329711"},"modified":"2025-09-20T15:56:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T14:56:11","slug":"french-dignitaries-condemn-hostage-diplomacy-and-media-manipulation-by-iranian-regime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/demonization-documents-statements\/french-dignitaries-condemn-hostage-diplomacy-and-media-manipulation-by-iranian-regime\/","title":{"rendered":"French Dignitaries Condemn Hostage Diplomacy and Media Manipulation by Iranian Regime"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From top left to right: Dominique Attias, Ingrid Betancourt, Jean-Pierre Brard.
From bottom left to right: Yves Bonnet, Gilbert Mitterrand, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Legaret.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A group of prominent French figures has issued a joint statement condemning the Iranian regime\u2019s ongoing use of hostage diplomacy<\/a> and what they describe as politically motivated manipulation of the French media and judiciary. The signatories\u2014including legal experts, former elected officials, and human rights advocates\u2014welcomed the release of French hostage Olivier Grondeau, but voiced alarm over reports suggesting the release may have been part of a broader bargain targeting Iran\u2019s democratic opposition.<\/p>\n

They expressed particular concern about recent defamatory attacks against Maryam Rajavi<\/a>, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and linked these efforts to appeasement tactics aimed at satisfying Tehran. The statement strongly denounces what it calls \u201cshameful blackmail\u201d by the Iranian regime and urges an end to the use of democratic institutions as tools for political concessions.<\/p>\n

A translated version of the joint statement follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Joint Statement by French Figures Following the Release of a Hostage by Iran<\/h3>\n

Manipulation of the Press and Judicial System to Appease the Mullahs\u2019 Regime Must End<\/strong><\/p>\n

We welcome the release of hostage Olivier Grondeau<\/a>, announced today, Thursday, March 20, 2025. We are happy for him and his family. This terrible ordeal, provoked by the Iranian regime, has finally come to an end for him. \u201cState hostages\u201d are the new weapon of this tyranny. We are relieved that Olivier Grondeau is no longer unjustly and arbitrarily imprisoned, but we do not forget his two cellmates, C\u00e9cile Kohler and Jacques Paris, and all the other European state hostages still in captivity.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, we are deeply concerned about what appears to be a bargain aimed at demanding a deliberate attack and demonization of the Iranian democratic opposition\u2014the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)\u2014and its elected president, Maryam Rajavi, in exchange for the release of European hostages.<\/p>\n

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\u00ab\u00a0La bave du crapaud n atteint jamais la blanche colombe \u00ab\u00a0\ud83e\udd22 mais aussi \u00ab\u00a0 , diffamez Diffamez il en restera tjrs quelque chose \u00ab\u00a0\ud83d\ude21objectif affich\u00e9 mollahs assassins \ud83d\udc79 . Mais leurs man\u0153uvres sont le corollaire de leur crainte CNRI et OMPI .Ont raison heure comptes arrive\u23f0\u270a<\/p>\n

— Dominique Attias (@AttiasDominique) March 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n