A former chief prosecutor of Tehran jailed over a death in custody has been released from prison after serving two-thirds of his sentence, a state-owned news website reported Sunday.
Saeed Mortazavi was sentenced in 2017 to two years imprisonment over the death of Mohsen Ruholamini, who had been arrested during protests in 2009.
Mortazavi was freed "a few hours ago" after serving two-thirds of his sentence, said the website of the Young Journalists Club affiliated with Iran's state broadcaster.
The online edition of reformist newspaper Etemad said he was granted an early release for good behavior and after it was deemed he was unlikely to commit the crime again.
Mortazavi was Tehran's prosecutor general for seven years until his suspension in 2010. He was later banned for life from the judiciary.
A close ally of hardline former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he was notorious for shutting down newspapers and arresting activists during his tenure.
Mortazavi was suspended over the deaths in custody of at least three protesters during mass demonstrations in 2009 against Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election.
He was charged with "accessory to murder" over the death of Ruholamini and was initially sentenced to five years in prison.
But the sentence was reduced to two years on appeal "in view of his apology to the plaintiffs," a judiciary spokesperson said at the time.
Ahmadinejad's re-election triggered accusations of rigging and months of mass demonstrations that were eventually crushed in a crackdown.
Mortazavi is subject to sanctions by the United States and the European Union for "grave violations of human rights" during the protests.
AFP
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