Iranian reformist demands freedom

Iranian reformist demands freedom

TEHRAN (AFP): A leading Iranian opposition figure jailed for taking part in a controversial political seminar abroad has demanded his release from prison, his lawyer said in a statement on Thursday.

Ezzatollah Sahabi is still in prison although all others arrested for participating in the Berlin seminar that shocked Iranian conservatives have since been freed on bail, his lawyer said.

The April seminar, sponsored by the Heinrich Boll Foundation and deemed "anti-Islamic" by authorities here, included speakers opposed to Iran's Islamic government, a woman who danced with bare arms and a man who disrobed.

The detention of Sahabi, a leading figure in Iran's progressive opposition, sparked widespread outrage among politicians and academics who drafted an open letter in July calling for his unconditional release.