“Dream turned into nightmare” in Iran: 5-year prison sentence for Frenchman

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According to his family’s statement, Frenchman Louis Arnaud (35), who was detained in Iran, was sentenced to five years in prison. “This conviction represents a violation of human rights,” his mother, Sylvie Arnaud, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Propaganda allegations and threats to state security are completely unfounded,” he wrote on behalf of a support committee. Initially, there was no confirmation of this in Iran.

His mother said the allegations were made at a hearing without him being given the opportunity to defend himself. Arnaud was arrested in September 2022 while visiting Iran as part of his world tour. He is currently being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.

“The dream turned into a nightmare”

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the situation was “extremely concerning”. “The unfounded conviction and lack of access to legal representation is unacceptable,” the statement said. France demands the release of “all French people arbitrarily detained in Iran.”

His mother explained that Arnaud went on this trip “to get to know the cultural richness of the world.” He always dreamed of traveling to Iran because of the country’s history and the hospitality of its people. “His dream has turned into a nightmare because he was unjustly imprisoned and now unjustly convicted,” his supporters emphasize.

Besides Arnaud, more than ten citizens of the Western world are imprisoned in Iran, including German Jamshid Sharmahd, whose life is in danger due to his advanced Parkinson’s disease and lack of medical care, according to the testimony of his daughter. Human rights organizations and their relatives accuse Iran of using foreign prisoners as a means of blackmail in international negotiations. (AFP)

Source :Blick