Iranian authorities release French national Louis Arnaud, imprisoned for over 20 months

PARIS — French national Louis Arnaud arrived in France on Thursday after being released by Iran, where he was imprisoned for more than 20 months for allegedly participating in nationwide protests.

Arnaud was received at Paris-Le-Bourget airport by his family in the presence of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media platform

Arnaud had been arrested in September 2022 along with other Europeans.

French media reported that Arnaud, a consultant in his 30s, was accused of having participated in nationwide protests. caused by the death of Mahsa Amina young woman who died after being detained for allegedly not wearing the headscarf, or hijab, as the security forces like.

Macron expressed concern about three other French citizens who are still imprisoned in Iran, including Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who were arrested in May 2022.

French authorities identified Kohler and Paris as a teacher union leader and her partner on vacation in the country. Iranian authorities accused them of protesting with Iranian teachers and participating in an anti-government demonstration.

The third French citizen detained in Iran has only been identified by his first name, Olivier.

“I call on Iran to release them without delay,” Macron wrote in X.

“We continue working” to get them released, Séjourné said Thursday. “Our diplomacy is still mobilized… That will be the next victory for tomorrow. But here we must be satisfied with a great diplomatic victory for France.”