Iranian Poet Released On Bail

RFE
12 Jan 2016, 06:17 GMT+10

A popular Iranian poet has been released on bail after being detained upon arrival in Iran, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.

Hila Sedighi, who has criticized state repression in her poems, was released on January 9.

Sedighi was detained on January 7 at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport after a flight from the United Arab Emirates.

Authorities have not commented on the reason for her detention.

The New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said on January 7 that her arrest appeared to have been linked to a sentence issued in absentia in connection with her cultural activities.

Sedighi, 30, had also been detained in 2011 and sentenced to a suspended four-month prison sentence.

Sedighi was among 41 writers around the world who received prestigious grants from Human Rights Watch in 2012 "for their commitment to freedom of expression and their courage in face of persecution."

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Orlando Echo.

More Information

77 ℉

Fair in Orlando/Executive

International

Section

Former Honduras president, family banned from entry to U.S.

WASHINGTON D.C.: The Biden administration has barred former Honduran President Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo Sosa and his wife, Rosa Elena Bonilla ...

Air pollution from western U.S. state fires seen in east coast cities

PORTLAND, Oregon: Wildfires across the United States and Canada, including Oregon's "monster" two-week-old Bootleg blaze, caused harmful air pollution as ...