Iran releases on bail two reformists arrested after protests

Iranian authorities have released on bail two senior reformist figures who were arrested in recent days following anti-government protests in January, local media reported.

"Javad Emam and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh were released a few minutes ago after posting bail," their lawyer, Hojjat Kermani, said in an interview with the ISNA news agency published on Thursday evening.

Asgharzadeh is a former member of parliament and Emam is the spokesman of the Reformist Front, the main coalition of the reformist camp.

They were accused of "undermining national unity" and "coordinating with enemy propaganda," the Fars news agency reported at the time of their arrests.

Reformists traditionally call for more social freedoms and the establishment of a civil society and backed current president Masoud Pezeshkian during his 2024 campaign.

The lawyer expressed hope that the release of Azar Mansouri, head of the Reform Front since 2023 could come "in the next few days when her arrest warrant is revoked".

Mansouri, 60, an adviser to reformist former president Mohammad Khatami, was arrested on Sunday alongside two other reformists.

The arrests come weeks after deadly protests erupted across the country, in which thousands of people died and many more were more arrested.

In 2009, Emam was one of the campaign managers for Mir Hossein Mousavi, a leading figure in the Iranian opposition and former prime minister, who has been under house arrest since 2011.