Newsweek: Journalist detained in Iran now in UK

Newsweek says journalist detained in Iran has been released, is in UK to witness child's birth

(AP)  LONDON (AP) - Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari, who was detained for nearly four months in Iran, has been released and has rejoined his pregnant wife in the U.K., the magazine said Tuesday.

Bahari, 43, was one of hundreds arrested June 21 during the government crackdown that followed nationwide protests over the country's disputed presidential election. He was kept in solitary confinement at Tehran's Evin prison as his wife suffered through a difficult pregnancy in London.

He was bailed on Saturday, and Newsweek spokesman Frank De Maria said Iranian officials allowed Bahari to return to the U.K. on Tuesday. De Maria could not immediately say whether Bahari, an Iranian-born Canadian citizen, still faces charges in Iran or has any plans to return.

Friends, colleagues, human rights groups, and government officials who lobbied for Bahari's release expressed relief at news of his arrival in London.

"All Canadians are relieved that Mr. Bahari was able to join his pregnant wife in London as they await the birth of their first child," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.

"We can only imagine what Mr. Bahari has been through during the past months and the anguish that his wife has experienced during this difficult period," he said.

Paola Gourley, Bahari's wife, is expected to deliver their child by cesarean section Monday.

The couple met in March 2007 in London, where Gourley, who is British, practices law. In an interview with the AP earlier this month, Gourley said the pair were supposed to have been together in London for the first glimpse of their child - by ultrasound - when her husband was detained.

Before the arrest, "we bought furniture, decorated the baby's room together," she said. "He was really excited. He bought cupboards for the baby's room; he wanted to get involved; he was looking forward to spending time with me during the pregnancy."

De Maria said the couple were unavailable for comment Tuesday, explaining that they wanted some time alone together "after their long and trying separation." Gourley's pregnancy has been marred by complications, which De Maria said could have been caused in part by stress over her husband's detention.

He said Newsweek was relieved at the news of Bahari's release and expressed thanks to all those who helped push for his release.

Bahari was one of more than 100 opposition figures, activists and journalists who were swept up in a clampdown on street protests by hundreds of thousands of Iranians against the June 12 presidential elections. The opposition claims the vote was rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On the same day that Bahari arrived in London, another defendant - Iranian-American academic Kian Tajbakhsh - was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his alleged role in the protests.

Harper said that, while he was pleased with Bahari's release, "we must not forget about the countless others who remain unjustly imprisoned in Iran today solely for political reasons, such as ... Tajbakhsh."

____

On the Net:

http://freemaziarbahari.org/