Maziar Bahari, an accredited journalist for Newsweek, was released on bail in Iran on Saturday. Yesterday, he flew back to London to see his family. He returned in time to see the upcoming birth of his first child, due on October 26th.
More from Newsweek:
Bahari, NEWSWEEK’s Iran correspondent and an internationally acclaimed documentary filmmaker, was arrested in the aftermath of the contested June 12 re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He has been accredited to the magazine in Iran for over a decade, and in that time had established a solid reputation for balanced reporting. His films have won awards abroad and in the words of the Harvard Film Archives, “provide a glimpse inside contemporary Iranian culture as they reveal the human element behind the headlines and capture cultural truths through the lens of individual experience.”
Several hundred authors, journalists, and filmmakers from around the world, including several Nobel prize winners, have signed petitions asking for his release. Last month he was a finalist for Spain’s Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, which has been compared to the Nobel Peace prize. According to The Wall Street Journal, his case was raised along with those of other detained foreign nationals at talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva recently.
Bahari, his family, and Newsweek also extended thanks to all the well wishers and supporters.
Back to top