The Diplomat
Iran, yesterday released the Spaniard Santiago Sánchez Cogedor, who had been in prison in that country since October 2022, as reported by the Iranian Embassy in Madrid, through a message on the X social network.
Santiago Sánchez Cogedor, who passed through Iran on foot on his way to Qatar, where he planned to attend the World Cup, was arrested after visiting the grave of Masha Amini, a young Kurdish woman who died in custody after being arrested. for wearing the veil wrong.
In its message, the Iranian Embassy indicated that it was pleased to report the release of the “only Spaniard imprisoned in Iran” and explained that the release was carried out “within the framework of the friendly and historical relations between the two countries and in compliance with the laws.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, had demanded the release of Sánchez Cogedor at the beginning of last October, during an event in Madrid on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Since the arrest and imprisonment of Sánchez Cogedor, a 41-year-old man from Madrid, the Spanish Embassy in Tehran, with its ambassador, Ángel Losada, at the helm, has been taking steps to assist the Spanish citizen and achieve his release.
In conversation with Efe, Celia Cogedor, mother of the freed Spaniard, was “overwhelmed” by the news, which she learned about on Sunday afternoon through a translator from the Iranian Embassy.
At the moment, as she explained, they had no more information about his release, which could occur in about 24 hours, nor did they know when he would be able to return to Spain.
The family is contacting Spanish diplomats in Iran to find out what steps to take next once the release occurs.
On October 2 of last year, the Spaniard was arrested in the Kurdish city of Saqqez after visiting and photographing the grave of Mahsa Amini, whose death due to wearing the veil incorrectly caused strong protests in the country itself and much of the world. These were extinguished after a strong repression that caused 500 deaths, thousands of arrests and several executions of protesters.
The Spaniard was arrested and transferred to prison, where he has been for more than 14 months. There he began a hunger strike to demand better treatment in prison and his release. According to what his mother told Efe a few months ago, in prison he organized soccer, volleyball and chess tournaments.
“Pambu (as Santiago is called by his family and friends) is now calmer and has taken his stay in the Iranian prison as a volunteer, because there are many people there that he can help,” his mother declared last month October.
Sánchez Cogedor’s family even turned to Real Madrid to have the football club mediate with Iran to obtain his release, although the latter did not respond to the request for help.
