Spain confirms the release of incarcerated national in Iran
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Baneira would first fly to Dubai, then to Geneva, and finally to Coruña
A 24-year-old Spanish citizen has been released from prison in Iran after almost four months, Spain’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
Ana Baneira was released Saturday, the ministry said, explaining that it waited to make the announcement until her plane took off from Iran.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Baneira would first fly to Dubai, then to Geneva, and finally to Coruña, the northern Spanish city where she is originally from and is expected to arrive Monday.
The reasons for her arrest and detention in early November were not made public. Baneira is a human rights activist who was arrested while allegedly taking part in protests in Tehran, according to Spanish national news agency EFE.
She was one of two Spanish nationals known to have been detained in Iran amid the anti-government protests that erupted in the country after the death of Masha Amini, a woman who died in police custody.
The other one is Santiago Sánchez, who was arrested in early October after visiting Amini’s tomb during a trekking trip that crossed Iran.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition
