Iran Said To Release Austrian Jailed On Unspecified Charges

Iranian authorities have released Austrian citizen Christian Weber, detained for crimes allegedly committed in Iran's West Azerbaijan Province, to Austria's ambassador in Tehran, the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on September 17. Austria had said in 2022 that one of its citizens was arrested in Iran for charges not related to the protests that broke out in the country after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish Iranian woman. The news agency said the Austrian citizen was freed in consideration of Islamic mercy. He was handed over to his country's ambassador to arrange his exit, the agency said. Mizan did not specify the crime for which Weber was jailed. Calls to the Austrian Embassy before regular office hours went unanswered.