UK confirms MEMO writer safe in Iran

MEMO freelancer Mahan Abedin is “no longer in detention”, the British Foreign Office confirmed today.

Earlier this week the FCO said it was “urgently seeking information from the Iranian authorities” as reports emerged that the Iranian-British national had been arrested while on a trip to the Islamic Republic.

MEMO had attempted to contact Abedin after weeks of radio silence, but had no reply. On Monday he wrote: “Thank you for your email. I am still in Iran. I was hit by a family tragedy and hence my silence for several weeks. But I am back in action now and ready to file again.”

It was not possible for MEMO to verify who wrote the email and we had had no response to our subsequent communication.

However today he wrote: “Rest assured it really is ME writing to you… the UK Foreign Office has established that I am NOT in Iranian detention… I appreciate your concern for my safely.”

Read: Iran arrests British-Iranian academic on security charges