Iran Releases 2 Reformist Figures Supporting Pezeshkian Detained for Anti-Government Demo

JAKARTA - Iran has released two senior reformist figures who were arrested days ago following anti-government demonstrations whose riots peaked on January 8-9, 2026.

"Javad Emam and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh were released a few minutes ago after paying bail," the lawyer for the two figures, Hojjat Kermani, said in an interview with the ISNA news agency quoted by AFP, Thursday night local time.

Asgharzadeh is a former Iranian parliamentarian. While Emam is a spokesman for the Reformist Front, the main coalition of the reformist camp.

According to the Fars news agency, the two were detained on charges of "undermining national unity" and "coordinating with enemy propaganda."

The reformists in Iran are the current Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the campaign period in 2024. They also call for full social freedom and the formation of a civil society.

Furthermore, the lawyers of the two figures support the Head of the Reform Front since 2023, Azar Mansouri, to be released as soon as possible.

Mansouri, 60, an adviser to former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, was arrested on Sunday along with two other reformists.

Peaceful demonstrations protesting the rise in the cost of living took place in Iran at the end of December 2025, leading to anti-government actions whose riots peaked in early January 2026.