News agency reports Iran released labour activist on bail

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency is reporting that the country’s judiciary has released a labour activist on bail.

Fars reports that Esmail Bakhshi, a labour activist and worker in the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Mill in southern Khuzestan Province, was released Wednesday. He was detained in January after demonstrations took place after several months without payment. He was released on $70,000 bail.

Iranian authorities released two other labour activists related to the case Sunday.

Iran is in the grip of an economic crisis and officials have tried to downplay the impact of restored U.S. sanctions on the country.

Before his detention on January, Bakhshi wrote on his Instagram page that he was beaten and tortured when he was in temporary detention for nearly one month in November.