2 senior Iranian reformist figures released days after arrest

TEHRAN, Iran

Two senior Iranian reformist political figures have been released just days after their arrest, local media and their attorney said.

Javad Emam and Ebrahim Asgarzadeh, members of the Reform Front of Iran, were detained earlier this week along with several other prominent reformist politicians.

According to local media, the charges against them include acting against national unity, taking positions against the Iranian Constitution, coordinating with enemy propaganda, and creating covert subversive mechanisms.

Emam serves as secretary-general of the Association of Devotees (Majma-e Isargaran), while Asgharzadeh is a veteran reformist activist and former member of the Iranian parliament.

Their defense attorney confirmed their release, saying they were freed on Thursday evening after posting bail. He also expressed hope that Azar Mansouri will be released in the coming days.

Mansouri, who heads the Reformist Front, an umbrella organization representing the country’s principal reformist parties and factions, is the most senior reformist figure to have been arrested in recent days.

On Tuesday, the Reformist Front issued a statement condemning the detention of its senior members and calling for their immediate release.

“The arrest of Ms. Azar Mansouri, Chair of the General Assembly of the Reform Front of Iran, and Messrs. Javad Emam, spokesperson; Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, head of the Political Committee and member of the presidium; and Mohsen Aminzadeh, a full member of this front—along with the summoning of several other members of the presidium—has caused deep regret,” read the statement, cited by the semi-official Islamic Republic News Agency.

The statement urged the relevant authorities to take “urgent measures” in order to ensure their release.

Notably, Iran’s incumbent government is led by Masoud Pezeshkian, who is associated with the reformist current and previously served as a minister in a reformist administration headed by President Mohammad Khatami.

The latest wave of arrests comes weeks after protests in Iran that began peacefully over economic grievances but later turned violent, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths, according to official figures.

Iranian authorities accused the United States and Israel of backing what they described as “rioting” and “terrorism.”