Embassy of the Islamic Republic in Madrid: Spanish citizen detained in Iran has been released

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Spain announced on Sunday that a Spanish citizen detained in Iran has been released. This Spanish citizen, named Santiago Sánchez Cogedor, was a tourist who was arrested shortly after his arrival in Iran in October 2022, during the protests following the death of Mahsa Amini. Santiago Sánchez Cogedor was arrested at a time when Mahsa Amini was detained by the morality police in Tehran for not wearing the hijab mandated by the Islamic Republic, and following her death, nationwide protests began in Iran. Mahsa Amini's family claims she fell into a coma and died due to the beatings by the morality police. According to Agence France-Presse, the Iranian embassy expressed "happiness" over the release of the Spanish citizen and added that his release "takes place amidst friendly and historical relations between the two countries and in accordance with the law." According to the Iranian embassy, Santiago Sánchez Cogedor is the only Spanish citizen detained in Iran. Sánchez Cogedor, a football fan, had begun a long journey on foot to Qatar in January 2022 to attend the World Cup. His family stated that they had been unable to contact him for several weeks before the start of the tournament. In his last message, which he documented on Instagram, he wrote that he was in a village in northern Iraq and was heading towards the Iranian border. An audio message for his family, which was later broadcast by a television network, indicated that he was in Tehran and wanted to go to Bandar Abbas, from where he intended to take a boat to Qatar. The mother of this tourist told Agence France-Presse in late October that the family learned of his detention in Iran a few days later through the Spanish Foreign Ministry. According to Agence France-Presse, the Islamic Republic is holding more than 10 Western citizens. Governments and NGOs accuse the Islamic Republic of using these individuals as bargaining chips in foreign relations. Relatives of the Spanish tourist urged the Islamic Republic to release him. A Spanish citizen has gone missing in Iran while walking to Qatar.