Louis Arnaud

Louis Arnaud

French Banker

Biography

Louis Arnaud is a French banking consultant.

Arrest

Arnaud was arrested on September 28, 2022, while traveling in Iran. His parents describe him as an avid traveler and “simple citizen of the world” who, prior, to arriving in Iran, had visited Italy, Greece, Turkey, Georgia and Armenia on the same trip. They said Arnaud had not “taken part in any protest, nor expressed ideas hostile to Iran, its government or Islam.”

Treatment in Captivity

Arnaud’s parents say he is being held in "very harsh detention conditions,” and that the authorities have denied them direct contact with him aside from one brief telephone call.  The French ambassador to Iran visited Arnaud on December 11, 2022.

Sentencing

Arnaud’s family said in November 2023 that he had been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by a Revolutionary Court for propagandizing against and trying to damage the security of the Iranian regime. Arnaud has appealed his sentence.

International Reaction

In August 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron demanded the release of Kohler, Paris, and two other French nationals held hostage in Iran. “Nothing justifies the detention… of French nationals in prisons and under unacceptable conditions in Iran,” Macron said.

After the announcement of Arnaud’s prison sentence in November 2023, the French foreign ministry expressed its “utmost concern” and called the sentence “unacceptable,” saying “there is no evidence” to support it and decrying Arnaud’s lack of legal counsel. “We call for his immediate release, as well as that of all French citizens arbitrarily detained in Iran,” the ministry added.

Release

Iran released Arnaud on June 12, 2024, and he arrived back in France the following day.

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