Louis Arnaud, French Citizen Imprisoned in Iran, Returns to Paris

Louis Arnaud, a French citizen imprisoned in Iran who was sentenced to five years in prison last year on security charges, returned to Paris on Thursday after being released from prison. This French citizen was arrested for participating in protests over the death of Mahsa Amini and was freed after spending nearly two years in Evin prison, with the mediation of Oman. According to images broadcasted by French television, Louis Arnaud, on Thursday, June 14, 'tired but smiling, stepped off a small plane at Le Bourget Airport in the suburbs of Paris, shook hands with Stéphane Séjourné, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and then embraced his parents.' Arnaud, holding hands with his relatives, entered a private room at the airport and stayed out of sight of cameras. Mr. Séjourné stated, 'I am very happy to welcome one of our hostages who was arbitrarily detained in Iran.' He added, 'Our diplomatic service is still working' to free three other French citizens: Jacques Paris, Cécile Kohler, and a man only known as Olivier who is held in Iranian prisons. Arnaud, a 36-year-old consultant, began a round-the-world trip in July 2022 that brought him to Iran. His mother, Sylvie, said a few months ago, 'This was a country he had long dreamed of visiting because of its historical richness and hospitable people.' However, he was arrested on September 28, 2022, along with other Europeans accused of participating in protests over Mahsa Amini's death at the Guidance Patrol detention center. While Arnaud's companions were soon released, he was kept in prison before his conviction in November on charges of propaganda and harming Iran's national security. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, thanked Oman for its mediation and all those involved in Louis Arnaud's release on Wednesday, June 13. The French President also called on the Islamic Republic to release Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris, and Olivier, other French citizens imprisoned in Iran, unconditionally. Benjamin Brière, a French citizen, and Bernard Flan, a dual French-Irish citizen, were released by Iran in May 2023 for 'humanitarian reasons.' Both had become severely weakened due to hunger strikes. Now, three other French citizens are also detained in Iran, recognized by the French government as 'state hostages.' Cécile Kohler, a teacher and union activist, and her partner Jacques Paris, who traveled to Iran on a tourist visa, were arrested on April 30, 2022. Previously, Bernard Flan, a 64-year-old French-Irish citizen, and Benjamin Brière, a 38-year-old French tourist, who were both detained in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, were released on May 11 this year. Fariba Adelkhah, an Iranian-French researcher who had been released last winter but had not been allowed to leave the country for months, finally managed to leave Iran and return to France. Tehran, which holds about a dozen Western citizens, is accused by their supporters and human rights groups of using these prisoners as leverage in international negotiations. Human rights activists have consistently condemned the Islamic Republic's 'hostage-taking' policy and called these detentions 'arbitrary.' The release of Louis Arnaud comes just days after reports of the arrest of Bashir Bi Azar, the former head of music at IRIB in France. Ali Bagheri Kani, the head of the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry, reported on Wednesday, June 13, that he was following up on the case of Bashir Bi Azar and had a phone conversation with the Iranian ambassador in Paris regarding this matter. Recently, Iranian officials have announced that they are pursuing the release of this individual at high levels. Mohammad Mahdi Naraghi, the Deputy for Development and Support Management of the Islamic Propaganda Organization and former head of the music and choir center of IRIB, claimed that the arrest of Bashir Bi Azar was due to 'support for Palestine' and commented that 'Paris cannot tolerate a few posts and stories either.'