Iran releases Spanish woman jailed over Amini protests

A Spanish woman imprisoned in Iran for three months on espionage charges after she was arrested during anti-government protests has been released, Spain's government said Sunday.

Ana Baneira Suarez was 24 years old when she was arrested, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) revealed at the time.

"She was freed yesterday, but we didn't want to announce it publicly before her plane had taken off from Iran," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told journalists.

"I was able to speak with her ... she is well," he said, adding she was on her way to northwestern Spain, where she is from.

Spanish football fan still in jail

Albares said that another Spanish citizen, Santiago Sanchez Cogedor, was still in Iranian custody but that he hoped for his release soon.

"Today is a happy day, but our happiness will be complete when Santiago is also freed," said Albares, referring to the football fan who was trying to walk to the World Cup in Qatar when he was detained in Iran.

The Iranian government did not respond to requests for comment on Baneira's release.

Activist supported Mahsa Amini protests

Suarez was detained during nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of a young woman in September.

Tehran has blamed "foreign adversaries" for the demonstrations that erupted after 22-year-old Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini died while in custody following her arrest by Iran's morality police.

Amid was accused of violating the strict dress code for women.

The protests continued for several weeks despite a violent crackdown and this week, demonstrators hit the streets once again in the southeast of the country.

In September, Tehran said nine Europeans had been arrested for their involvement in the protests.

Last month, the European Union approved a fresh round of sanctions on the Iranian government over the protest crackdown.

mm/jcg (AFP, Reuters)