Iran frees Canadian, Germans detained during protests

Nov 6, 2009, 20:50 GMT

Tehran - Iran's judiciary on Friday freed a Canadian and two Germans who were detained during protests earlier this week in Tehran, official news agency IRNA reported.

'Three foreign nationals, one Canadian and two Germans, who were arrested on Wednesday have been freed,' Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi was quoted as saying by the agency.

Dolatabadi also confirmed the arrest of a Danish student, Niels Krogsgard, who was in the country to write an essay on Iranian politics and was arrested at the same demonstration.

'We have asked the relevant authorities to present us documents explaining the purposes of Krogsgard's presence in Iran,' said the prosecutor, adding that 'the adequate decision would be taken as soon as we receive those documents.'

Ignoring warnings from security officials, thousands of opposition supporters gathered on the streets of Tehran to protest the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday. It was the same time as annual state-organized, anti-US rallies were underway.

Opposition leaders Mir-Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi accused the authorities of fraud in the June 12 presidential election to secure Ahmadinejad's victory.