An Iranian woman arrested in a judicial clampdown on reformist journalists was freed on bail but needed hospital treatment due to her detention, her husband told AFP on Saturday. According to Ahmad Beigloo, journalist Fereshteh Ghazi "was kept in solitary confinement for 38 days and had to be checked into hospital as she was not in a good physical or mental shape".
The woman was arrested over her articles on women's rights published on Internet sites. She was released on bail of 500 mln rials (about $57,000). In recent months, Iran's conservative-run judiciary has arrested a number of pro-reform journalists accused of publishing propaganda against the Islamic regime, acting against national security, disturbing public opinion and insulting religious sanctities, according to AFP. Four confined reformist journalists, three of them recently freed, have written letters of repentance, saying they were "brainwashed" by foreigners and "counter-revolutionaries". Two weeks ago the European Union lodged a formal protest with Iranian authorities over the arrest and harassment of journalists, staff of non-governmental organizations and members of religious minorities, AFP added. |