Former French hostage Louis Arnault shared his experience about Iran’s prisons at a rally in Paris on February 1, 2025.
On February 1, 2025, demonstrators gathered in front of the Panthéon in Paris to call for the release of six French citizens still imprisoned in Iran. The rally also marked the 1,000th day of detention for Cécile Kohler, a French teacher who remains incarcerated in Tehran. Families, activists, and public figures, including former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, joined the protest to condemn Iran’s practice of hostage diplomacy and urge immediate action.
Among the speakers was Louis Arnault, a former French hostage who spent two years imprisoned in Iran before his release in June 2024. Arnault provided firsthand testimony of the grim conditions inside Iranian prisons, where political detainees face severe mistreatment. He spoke particularly about Behrouz Ehsani, an Iranian political prisoner sentenced to death for his affiliation with the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Témoignage de l'ancien #otage français Louis Arnaud libéré des prisons des mollahs #Iran sur la résistance devant les geôliers, de ses 2 compagnons de cellule Behrouz Ehsani & Mehdi Hassani#StopExecutionsInIran@amnestyfrance @AttiasDominique @AssoECPM pic.twitter.com/5Nu5VFsjgq
— Behzad Naziri (@BehzadNaziri) February 3, 2025
Arnault recalled sharing a cell with Ehsani in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, where the Iranian prisoner remained resolute despite his imminent execution. “He never lowered his head,” Arnault recounted. “Even in the face of oppression, he stood tall, defying his captors with the words: ‘Isn’t it shameful? It’s easy to play the oppressor when you have someone in your grip, but with this behavior, you insult all of humanity.'”
In their last conversation before Ehsani was taken away, he expressed unwavering conviction: “I have never bargained for my life. It is a small price to pay for the freedom of my people.” These words left a profound impact on Arnault, who now speaks on behalf of political prisoners still suffering under Tehran’s rule.
On Sunday in Paris, protesters demanded the release of French nationals detained in Iran. Louis Arnaud called out the regime's hostage policies and highlighted the cases of Behrouz Ehsani & Mehdi Hassani, facing execution. #Iran #FreeIran2025 pic.twitter.com/7VCo8Z9Jvz
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) February 3, 2025
The Paris rally also served as a broader call to action against Iran’s treatment of political prisoners. Protesters urged European governments to adopt a firmer stance against Iran’s human rights abuses and to increase diplomatic pressure to halt the execution of political detainees. Another prisoner, Mehdi Hassani, a PMOI supporter arrested in 2022, was cited as one of many currently facing severe mistreatment and the threat of execution.
The demonstration underscored growing global concerns over Iran’s state-sponsored hostage-taking and systematic repression. Protesters warned that a lack of decisive action from the international community would embolden Iran to continue using political prisoners as bargaining tools.
As Ehsani and others remain on death row, human rights activists continue to call for urgent international intervention. “This is not just about one man or one country,” Arnault emphasized. “It is about standing against injustice wherever it exists.”
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu