June 20th, 2011 – RAHANA: Upon completion of his one year prison sentence and on the third day of a hunger strike launched with 11 other political prisoners protesting the killings of Haleh Sahabi and Hoda Saber, Emadeddin Baghi, prominent journalist, human rights activist and founder of the Association for the Defense of Prisoners, transferred to Evin prison on December 5th, 2010 was released from prison today Monday June 20th, 2011. According to reports by Jaras, immediately after his release from Evin, Baghi first visited with the families of martyrs Hoda Saber and Haleh Sahabi, before going home.
In an interview with ISNA, Saleh Neekbakht, Baghi’s lawyer stated: “My client had been sentenced to six years prison on charges of conspiracy against the regime and propaganda against the state. After filing a complaint with the 54th branch of the appeals court in Tehran and review of his case file, he has been acquitted of the charge of conspiracy against the regime. Given that my client had also been charged a second time with propaganda against the regime by another branch of the Revolutionary Court, the two cases were treated as a single case and as per article 184 of the penal code, the second charge of propaganda against the regime was dropped. Given that my client had completed his one year sentence for the original charge, he was released from prison today.”