Imprisoned Iranian trade unionist set free on bail
Esmail Abdi, the general secretary of the Tehran branch of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association, has been released on bail after spending months behind bars on security charges.
Released Saturday, May 14 after posting nearly $100 thousand USD bail, Esmail Abdi is once again a tepidly free man following his March 2016 sentence to six years in prison on charges of acting against national security.
Abdi was arrested on June 27 last year as he attempted to attend Education International (EI)’s Seventh World Congress in Ottawa, Canada.
The education trade unionist began a hunger strike in late April after sustained international pressure for his release fell on deaf ears.
Abdi’s release is only temporary as he waits for a date to appear before a court of appeal.
