Reports: Iason Athanasiadis freed in Iran

By Joshua Benton @jbenton July 6, 2009, 10:11 a.m.

I’ve been hesitant to post anything since there have been a few false alarms in the past two weeks, but it does truly appear that my friend and Nieman colleague Iason Athanasiadis has been released from Iranian custody. CPJ has issued a statement on his release, which I imagine is as good a confirmation as we can expect until we have pictures of Iason reunited with his family; Greek and Iranian government officials have both confirmed the release.

I think I can speak on behalf of the Nieman Foundation in thanking everyone who played a part in advancing the cause of his release and in welcoming Iason back to freedom.

(CPJ does note that there are still around 20 journalists detained in Iran.)

Joshua Benton is the senior writer and former director of Nieman Lab. You can reach him via email (joshua_benton@harvard.edu) or Twitter DM (@jbenton).

POSTED July 6, 2009, 10:11 a.m.

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