Louis ArnaudLa révolution intérieure d’un ancien otage français en Iran

Arrested in September 2022, a few days after Mahsa Amini’s death and the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, LOUIS ARNAUD—who had set out on a trip around the world—was held for two years as a state hostage at Evin Prison in Tehran. There, he rubbed shoulders with Iran’s intellectual elite: students, doctors, journalists, and poets. These heroes would save him from the darkness, reminding us that even in the dark, humanity endures. His poetic and luminous account, The Inner Revolution (Éditions des Équateurs, 2026), bears witness to the encounters that transformed him, the heartbreak he felt upon his release, and why he now feels deeply connected to the Iranian people. This story is also one of a radical transformation guided by Seneca, Nietzsche, Lévinas, and Rumi, which led him to question the notions of confinement, good and evil, and identity—all to free himself from his condition as a slave in the midst of hell and attain inner freedom by pushing boundaries. It is a testimony meant to inspire everyone facing their own trials.