The family and relatives of Louis Arnaud, a Frenchman detained in Iran since the end of September, have again called for his release, and asked European governments to “redouble their efforts” to free their nationals. “Louis had started his World Tour on July 19, 2022, we are taking this anniversary date to draw attention to his situation,” the mother of the 35-year-old consultant, Sylvie Arnaud, told AFP. In a press release, his support committee denounces “an unfounded detention” and underlines that Louis Arnaud, accused of participating in the demonstrations which broke out in Iran in September after the death of Mahsa Amini, “claims his innocence”.
“Louis and fellow European travelers had stayed away from the protests that began in mid-September after they had already been in the country for several weeks. They were heading to an escape game site to celebrate the anniversary of one of them when they were abruptly arrested and taken to Evin prison in Tehran. While his European friends have since been released, Louis has now been detained for 293 days,” the statement said. “His conditions of detention have improved, and he can call us regularly,” said Ms. Arnaud. “Physically, he is fine. He is trying to maintain his mind, which is beginning to weaken due to the length of the detention,” she continued.
“Spying”
“We ask the French government and European governments to redouble their efforts to free their nationals,” she said. The Islamic Republic of Iran detains more than a dozen Western nationals, mostly dual nationals, and is accused by their supporters and NGOs of using them as bargaining chips in negotiations. In addition to Louis Arnaud, three French people, whom Paris describes as “State hostages”, are still detained in Iran: a French teacher, Cécile Kohler, and her companion Jacques Paris, arrested in May 2022 for “espionage”, and another whose identity has not been disclosed. The Franco-Iranian researcher, Fariba Adelkhah, arrested in 2019 and then sentenced to five years in prison for undermining national security, was released on February 10, but is prohibited from leaving Iranian territory.