Overview

• Santiago Sanchez Cogedor, a Spanish man who was detained in Iran for 15 months, has returned home to Madrid.
• Cogedor was arrested in Iran in October 2022 during his solo walking trek from Spain to the men's soccer World Cup in Qatar.
• His arrest followed a visit to the tomb of Mahsa Amini, a woman whose death in custody of Iran's morality police sparked nationwide protests.
• Cogedor's release was announced by Iran’s embassy to Spain on the last day of 2023.
• Despite his ordeal, Cogedor expressed his desire to return to Iran and urged Iranian authorities to let people be free.