Jan. 18 – Nahid Taghavi, a German-Iranian women’s rights activist detained by Iran officials in 2020 was released this week and returned to Germany.
Her daughter Mariam Claren, who campaigned extensively for her release, said “My mother has finally come home. We don’t have the words to describe how happy we are,” in a statement published by Amnesty International.
Some Middle East experts have suggested that her release comes at a time when Iran’s theocracy has become severely weakened and hopes to build goodwill with Germany in its upcoming talks with the country about its nuclear program.
Another foreign national detained in Iran, French citizen Olivier Grondeau revealed his identity on Monday in a voice message sent to French radio station France Inter.
Grondeau’s mother told the radio station that her son had decided to reach out to the media after diplomatic efforts to release him had failed.
The French government also accused Iran of mistreating Grondeau, who remains incarcerated, and said his prison conditions amounted to torture.
Sweden’s security services said foreign powers were using social media to recruit Swedish gangs and children for violent attacks against targets like the Israeli embassy.
The comment appeared to be aimed at Iran, following a statement last year in which Sweden’s security service said that the Iranian government had used criminal networks within Sweden to carry out violent acts.
And Iran’s navy unveiled its first signals intelligence ship, designed to intercept signals from cyber operations and monitor intelligence. The launch is part of Iran’s efforts to ramp up its military capability at a time when tensions remain high with Israel, and the US under incoming president Donald Trump.
