British embassy arrestee freed in Tehran

TEHRAN, July 19 (UPI) -- The last of the British embassy employees jailed in Iran on charges of aiding last month's election protests has been freed on bail, officials said Sunday.

Freed from prison was Hossein Rassam, who served as the embassy's chief political analyst, the last of nine local embassy staff originally held on charges of inciting the unrest over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, the BBC reported.

Rassam, who is to stand trial, and the others arrested played no role in the protests, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Sunday.

"The detention of embassy staff was completely unjustified," Miliband said.

Rassam was held in Tehran's Evin prison and was freed on $100,000 bail, attorney Abdolsamad Khorramshahi told the BBC.

The British broadcaster said Iran has often accused foreign countries -- especially Britain and the United States -- of fomenting the demonstrations, which began in mid-June and claimed the lives of at least 20 people.