Iran frees Spanish woman arrested during protests

IRAN has released a Spanish woman, Ana Baneira, who had been in detention since November, Spain’s foreign minister said yesterday.

“She was freed Saturday but we didn’t want to announce it publicly, before her plane had taken off from Iran,” José Manuel Albares said.

“I was able to speak with her ... she is well,” he said, adding that Ms Baneira, was on her way to her home region of Galicia, in north-west Spain after her release.

Ms Baneira was 24 when she was arrested in November, the Us-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) revealed at the time. The circumstances of her detention were never confirmed by Iranian authorities.

However, it took place amid protests that followed the death in custody of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini.

Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, was arrested by the morality police in September for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

Her death in hospital three days later triggered widespread outrage.

Another Spanish citizen, football fan

Santiago Sanchez Cogedor, has been in detention in Iran since October.

He was arrested while trying to walk to Qatar for the World Cup.

“Today is a happy day and our happiness will be complete when Santiago is also freed,” said Mr Albares, adding that he would not stop trying to secure Mr Cogedor’s release.

Ms Baneira’s family said that they were delighted she had been freed and

‘She was freed yesterday but we didn’t want to announce before her plane had taken off from Iran’

looked forward to seeing her again “after long weeks of waiting”.

They urged the media to give Ms Baneira space and privacy.

Tehran says hundreds of people have been killed and thousands arrested in connection with the protests, which they generally describe as “riots”.

In September, the Iranian authorities said that they had arrested nine foreigners in relation to the protests.