Iran releases Austrian citizen
On September 17, 2024, 9:50 PM
The website of Iranâs judiciary on Tuesday said Austrian citizen Christian Weber had been freed and handed over to his own countryâs embassy.
Weber was arrested at about the same time that a months-long nationwide wave of protests shook Iran after the death in custody of Iranian-Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini.
What do we know about the release?
âAustrian citizen Christian Weber, imprisoned in West Azerbaijan province, was released from prison in accordance with Islamic mercy,â the judiciary said, according to the Mizan Online website.
Mizan said Weber had been convicted after âcommitting crimesâ in Iran, although it did not specify what those crimes were.
âAfter his release, the convict was handed over to the Austrian ambassador for his departure,â it added.
While Austria confirmed in October 2022 that a citizen had been arrested in Iran, it said the charges were âunrelatedâ to the protests.
The release came a day after the second anniversary of Aminiâs death.
Iran tightens control of womenâs dress code
The Austrian ambassador to Iran traveled to West Azerbaijan and met with the regional prosecutor at about the same time the release was announced.
What do we know about the case?
A parliamentary inquiry by the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPĂ) to the Austrian Foreign Ministry last year said Weber was âabducted and detained there on August 25, 2022, then 27 years old, shortly after crossing the Iranian border to the Iranian state police prison in Urum in northern Iran.â
âAllegations of espionage allegedly transmitted by the Somali secret service turned out to be false,â the inquiry said.
FPĂ National Council member Martin Graf at the time said Weber was then charged with carrying dangerous weapons.
The arrest came at a time of heightened sensitivity for Iranâs leadership as it reeled from protests surrounding Aminiâs death. The 22-year-old after she was arrested for allegedly violating the countryâs strict dress code.
