AFP: A reformist Iranian journalist close to opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi on Thursday was allowed to leave prison on sick leave, an opposition website reported.
TEHRAN (AFP) — A reformist Iranian journalist close to opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi on Thursday was allowed to leave prison on sick leave, an opposition website reported.
“Hengameh Shahidi … was temporarily released from Evin prison (in Tehran) to seek treatment,” said Kaleme.com, the mouthpiece of main opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
There was no indication of how long she would be allowed to stay out of prison.
In May, Iranian media reported that Shahidi was given a hefty jail term by the Islamic republic’s hardline judiciary following her arrest in the wake of a disputed presidential election in June 2009.
Shahidi was handed six years for propaganda against the regime, taking part in illegal gatherings and acting against national security.
She was among scores of reformist politicians, journalists, human rights campaigners and student activists detained in the crackdown.
Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters defied a government crackdown and poured onto the streets of Tehran to protest against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Thousands were jailed amid a crackdown by the security forces and militiamen aimed at stifling the opposition protests. Many of those arrested were later freed.
Opposition leaders continue to reject the re-election of Ahmadinejad, saying the presidential poll was rigged to ensure the hardliner’s victory.
