Ladybbird

Men were arrested after interviewing son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who had been sentenced to death

Guardian UK
Sunday 20 February 2011 20.02 GMT

German journalists Jens Koch (left) and Marcus Hellwig – accompanied by foreign minister Guido Westerwelle – disembark from a plane in Berlin. Photograph: Reuters



Two German journalists arrested four months ago after interviewing the son of a woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, have been released.

Germany's foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, visited Tehran on Saturday to bring the reporters home in a rare top-level visit by a western government representative. A court threw out the 20-month prison sentence, commuting it to a fine of $50,000 each and clearing the way for their release, state media reported.

Westerwelle thanked his Iranian counterpart for his "commitment to the relations between our countries". His office said in a statement the ministers also discussed their differing opinions on "questions of human rights and the development of democracy".

Marcus Hellwig and Jens Koch – who work for Bild am Sonntag – were detained in October after interviewing Ashtiani's son in the northwestern city of Tabriz. Throughout their detention, Iranian officials accused them of a range of serious crimes from spying to having links to groups of Iranian exiles.

Ultimately, they were found guilty of committing acts against Iran's national security. State media reports on Saturday did not elaborate on the details of their alleged offences.

Officials have also claimed they admitted to violating Iranian laws barring those entering the country on tourist visas from working as journalists.

In Saturday's ruling, a court in Tabriz said the Germans "deserved to have their punishment commuted and enjoy Islamic mercy," state TV reported.

Hours later in Berlin, Germany's foreign ministry said the two had been released and were in the care of German consular officials in Tabriz. They then flew to Tehran. The two men looked healthy.

Westerwelle later joined the pair and took them back home to Germany on his government plane. They arrived safely in Berlin on Sunday morning, the foreign ministry said.

"We are all jubilant today," Bild am Sonntag's deputy editor Michael Backhaus said. "This is a 132-day-long nightmare that is now ending for the newspaper's staff and all relatives."

Backhaus declined to discuss details of how the release had been achieved. He said diplomatic efforts were made continuously behind the scenes.

Germany had also sent a deputy foreign minister to Iran in late January as part of its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the two journalists.

Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in 2006 after the murder of her husband and sentenced to death by stoning. In the face of international outrage, the sentence has been suspended and is under review by the supreme court.

She was later convicted of being an accessory to her husband's murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In the wake of the international outcry over the verdict, the Iranian government has been at pains to show that Ashtiani is guilty, airing several interviews with her repeatedly confessing her crimes

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