By John Irish

PARIS (Reuters) -France condemned on Thursday the lengthy prison sentences given to two of its citizens for espionage, saying the charges were unfounded and the punishment arbitrary.

Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris have been detained since 2022, among dozens of foreign and dual nationals held by Iran in recent years, often on spy-related charges.

Rights groups and Western nations say they are being used as bargaining chips, which Iran denies.

“I would like to spare a special thought for our compatriots Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been detained for more than three years in Iran,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux told reporters.

“Both were arbitrarily sentenced just the day before yesterday to very long prison terms. The charges aga

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