Iran Releases American-Iranian Activist

[Ghost in the Machine]

Iran Releases American-Iranian Activist
Published: 9/25/07, 5:45 AM EDT
By NASSER KARIMI

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran has released from jail peace activist Ali Shakeri, the last of four Iranian-Americans imprisoned in recent months after being accused of stirring up a revolution, a judiciary spokesman said Tuesday.

Shakeri, a businessman and member of a California-based democracy group, the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, was arrested while trying to leave Iran after visiting family. He was jailed four months ago in Tehran's Evin prison.

He and three other Iranian-Americans were charged with endangering national security - an accusation they, their families and their employers denied.

"He was released based on 1 million rials (about $110,000) bail last night. Shakeri is able to travel abroad if a ... judge permits him," Mohammad Shadabi, a spokesman for the judiciary, told The Associated Press.

The charges against Shakeri have increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran, already high over U.S. accusations that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and is fueling violence in Iraq. Iran denies both claims.

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