22 November 2009

Mohammad Ali Abtahi was released this morning

- on a $700.000 dollar bail

Former Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi was released this morning on a $700.000 bail (about €470.000 or £425.000) after 160 days in prison. This is not a permanent release. He now has 20 days to submit his appeal, and may still face six years in prison.

"Mohammad Ali Abtahi is the most senior reformer to face imprisonment following the disputed presidential election in June. Abtahi was vice president for parliamentary and legal affairs during the 1997-2005 presidency of Mohammad Khatami.
Abtahi made televised confessions after his arrest in which he admitted provoking people to riot. His family and fellow reformers said the confessions were obtained under duress. Abtahi was a top adviser to pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi, who finished fourth in the presidential elections." (Guardian UK)

This is the first picture taken of Abtahi after his release:


Abtahi has also posted on his blog. http://webneveshteha.ir/ He says he will soon return to updating the blog on a daily basis and thanked everyone for their support.
But as soon as he had updated his blog it was hacked.

This afternooen he also received a vist from former president Mohammad Khatami.


Sources:

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Afterthought:
All this money! 425.000 pounds! In which pockets do they end up?

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