Iran releases British freelance reporter Jason Fowden

A freelance journalist with dual British and Greek nationality has been released after two weeks detention in Iran, the Press Association has reported.

Washington Times freelance reporter Iason Athanasiadis, also known as Jason Fowden, was attempting to leave the country when he was arrested, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA via the Press Association.

Athanasiadis' release was reported on Sunday by Press TV, the London based broadcaster funded by the Iranian government, and confirmed by an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said the Fars News Agency according to CNN.

Amnesty International has reported that dozens of journalists were among hundreds of people imprisoned in the crackdown on post-election protests.

Canadian-Iranian Newsweek correspondent Maziar Bahari has also been held in the country since June 21.

After nine days of detention, Bahari was presented at a press conference by Iranian authorities, where he 'confessed' that western journalists were spies and that he was part of the 'capitalist machinery' aimed at 'throwing the legitimacy of the election in doubt', as reported in the Washington Post and Index on Censorship.

The remaining detained journalists are Iranian, some of whom campaigned for opposition candidates.

Up to 25 employees of a newspaper established by presidential candidate Mousavi have been detained and their whereabouts are unknown, Amnesty International has claimed.

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