Mansour Osanlou, leader of the Greater Tehran Bus Drivers Union, released from prison

A received report from Tehran: Mansour Osanlou was released from prison at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 9th. Leaving the prison gates, he was greeted by his entire family, friends and fellow union activists who were waiting for him outside.

After a brief visit and embrace with the well wishers, he headed home with the caravan that had showed up at the prison to salute him. Osanlou appeared tired and weak.

Mansour Osanlou was arrested in December 2005 and without ever really being charged with any concrete or specific charges, spent almost 8 months in prison.

Advaar News reported that Saeed Torabian, member of the board of directors of the greater Tehran bus drivers union said: “Osanlou, the chairperson of the union was arrested directly following the Labor strikes in December last year and was detained in Evin prison’s ward 209 for more than 7 and a half months and was released on $175,000 bail this afternoon at 15:30 from Evin prison.”

Torabian who made the announcement of Osanlou’s release in front of Evin prison added that Osanlou’s freedom is as a result of all of the efforts and assistance of Iranian freedom-lovers. Osanlou in a short interview with the reporter from Advaar News thanked all those who during his detention made every effort t see him released.