Iran has granted early release to Austrian citizen Christian Weber, who was originally convicted of offenses including espionage, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced on Tuesday.
“I am very pleased that the Foreign Ministry and our embassy in Tehran have successfully secured the early release of Christian Weber from Iranian custody,” Nehammer shared on the social media platform X.
He added that the Austrian embassy in Tehran is now working diligently to ensure Weber can leave the country as soon as possible and reunite with his family in Austria.
Both Austria and Iran have disclosed little about the case, which Vienna first revealed in late 2022. This was during a period of widespread anti-government protests in Iran, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman who died in custody after allegedly violating dress code laws. Austria had clarified at the time that Weber’s charges were unrelated to the Amini case.
In February, Austria’s foreign minister stated that Weber’s espionage conviction had been overturned on appeal, and his sentence for other unspecified offenses had been reduced by half.
On Tuesday, Austria’s foreign ministry said that “administrative steps” still need to be finalized with Iranian authorities.
According to the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency, Weber had been detained for crimes in West Azerbaijan Province and was released out of Islamic mercy. The report noted that Weber was handed over to Austria’s ambassador to arrange his departure, though the specific crime for which he was jailed was not disclosed. Calls to the Austrian embassy outside regular business hours went unanswered, and Iran’s judiciary was not immediately available for comment.
