In May I wrote (this and this)about an Iranian intellectual and civil society builder, Ramin Jahanbegloo, who had been taken political prisoner. News reports came yesterday of his release.

From the AP report: A Canadian-Iranian writer and intellectual who was arrested in Tehran on accusations of spying has been released after four months in prison. Ramin Jahanbegloo's release was confirmed by Kouhyar Goodarzi, a member of the Student Committee of Human Rights Reporters of Iran. Azin Moalej, Jahanbegloo's wife, also confirmed that her husband was released on bail, but refused to provide details.

Jahanbegloo, 46, was arrested in April. A senior Iranian judiciary official said he had confessed and apologized for trying to undermine the Muslim nation's system of clerical rule. In July, Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi said Jahanbegloo was involved in U.S. efforts to overthrow the government. Canadian officials in Tehran had requested that Iran either release Jahanbegloo or charge the writer with a crime. The case had further strained Iran's relations with Canada, which have been tense since Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi died in detention in Iran in 2003. She was also accused of spying, and eventually died from head injuries incurred during interrogations. In her case, Iranian officials ignored Canadian demands for justice.

Jahanbegloo, who taught at the University of Toronto from 1997 to 2001, is a well known writer and philosopher in Iran. He was educated at Harvard and France's the Sorbonne, has authored 20 books, and leads the office of contemporary studies at the private Cultural Research Bureau in Tehran. However, not long ago he wrote an editorial for Spain's El Pais newspaper countering Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's position that the holocaust never happened. "No one is free from blame for not knowing what happened in Auschwitz's gas chambers, nor are those who voluntarily close their eyes before the true essence of horror," Jahanbegloo wrote. Iranian officials have denied there was any connection between Jahanbegloo's arrest and his recent editorial.

Alex Neve, of the human rights organization Amnesty International, said anyone who speaks out against the government in Iran does so at great risk. "The human rights situation has been dire in Iran or many years," He told CTV Newsnet. "And certainly those who speak out, who try to push for change doing so peacefully -- journalists, dissidents, human rights lawyers, human rights activists, women's groups --have always had this sort of treatment; Arbitrary arrest, held for weeks or months without charge, tortured, ill treated ... all behind a shroud of secrecy."

Up until his release, Jahanbegloo was held at the Evin prison in Tehran. He wasn't allowed to make contact with anyone outside of the prison, according to reports. Neve said Iranian authorities often keep prisoners in isolation. "That's of concern in any case of detention, but certainly in Iran. It's during that period of incommunicado detention when no one is able to have access to you that concerns about torture and ill treatment, which are very common in Iran, are at their highest." Kazemi was arrested for taking photographs outside of the same prison where Jahanbegloo was held -- a facility known for the torture of inmates. Officials from Foreign Affairs told The Associated Press that Canada's ambassador to Tehran, Gordon Venner, had approached authorities about Jahanbegloo's arrest. The officials also said contact had been made with Iran's embassy in Ottawa. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay has revealed few details about the case, however. "For reasons of personal safety and concern for this individual, we do not feel that public commentary at this time would be helpful, and we don't want to endanger his life or his current circumstance," MacKay said.

In the days after news emerged about his arrest, Jahanbegloo's friends and former colleagues in Canada came to his defence. "I can say with certainty that he's never been engaged in anti-Iranian activities," said Liberal leadership candidate Michael Ignatieff, a friend of Jahanbegloo's. "He's a voice of civility in Iran and I urge the Iranian authorities to release him as soon as possible." Mohamad Tavakoli, a history professor at the University of Toronto, said his friend helped build bridges between Western intellectuals and Iranian society. During his time in Toronto, Jahanbegloo developed a discussion group on Iran, and in 2001 he organized an international conference on Iranian modernity. Tavakoli said he has left a strong impression in Canada, though it has been two years since he last spent time in the country. "He developed a great following amongst students at the University of Toronto, and they always talk about him with much passion and care, and everyone is very upset." Some diplomats have suggested Jahanbegloo's arrest was designed to send a terse warning to critics of the government.