Iranian authorities have released on bail two senior reformist figures who were arrested in recent days following anti-government protests in January, local media reported.
The arrests in Iran come weeks after deadly protests erupted across the country, leaving thousands dead and many more arrested. (Representative photo/Reuters)”Javed Emam and Ibrahim Asgharzadeh were released after posting bail a few minutes ago,” their lawyer Hojjat Kermani said in an interview with ISNA news agency published Thursday evening.
Asgharzadeh is a former member of parliament and spokesman for the Reformist Front, the main coalition of the Imam Reformist camp.
They were charged with “undermining national unity” and “coordinating with enemy propaganda,” Fars news agency said at the time of their arrest.
Reformists have traditionally called for more social freedoms and a civil society, and supported incumbent President Massoud Pezeshkian during his 2024 campaign.
The lawyer expressed hope that the release of Azor Mansouri, head of the Reform Front since 2023, could come “within the next few days when his arrest warrant is withdrawn”.
Mansouri (60), an adviser to reformist former president Mohammad Khatami, was arrested on Sunday along with two other reformists.
The arrests come weeks after deadly protests broke out across the country, in which thousands died and many more were arrested.
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In 2009, Imam was a leading figure in the Iranian opposition and one of the campaign managers of former prime minister, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who had been under house arrest since 2011.
