Madrid, Feb 26 (EFE).- The Spanish Ana Baneira Suárez, 24, who was imprisoned in Iran since the first days of November, was released this Saturday by the Iranian authorities and is already flying back to Spain, they have reported. Foreign Ministry sources.
Baneira, a member of an NGO defending human rights, was arrested in early November for allegedly participating in the protests that occurred after the death of Mahsa Amini, the young woman arrested for wearing her veil incorrectly.
According to Foreign Affairs, Baneira is already flying back to Spain, via Dubai, where it is scheduled to land in Madrid early in the afternoon, the sources have specified.
The activist has already spoken with the Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, whom she has assured that she is in good condition and has expressed her joy at returning home and her gratitude for the efforts made by the Ministry for her release.
Throughout these months, the minister has spoken by telephone with his counterpart on several occasions to request the release of both Baneira and the other Spanish prisoner also in Iran, Santiago Sánchez, since the end of last October.
Foreign Affairs has confirmed that it continues to take steps for the release of Sánchez.
Sánchez, who was traveling on foot to Qatar for the World Cup, was arrested in October in the Kurdish city of Saqqez (Iran) after visiting and photographing the tomb of Mahsa Amini, whose death sparked strong protests in the country itself and in a large part of the country. of the world.
The Iranian authorities responded to the protests with a strong police repression that has caused almost 500 deaths and nearly 20,000 arrests in demonstrations throughout the country for which hundreds of protesters have been sentenced to prison terms and 17 to death by hanging. , four of which have already been executed.