Iran frees dissident Farhad Meysami after photos of his emaciated condition cause outrage online

A woman holds an image of Farhad Meysami during a march in Washington, D.C. on February 4, 2023.

(CNN)An Iranian doctor and rights activist has been released from Tehran's infamous Evin prison one week after photographs of his severely emaciated condition emerged on social media.

Farhad Meysami was released from prison on Friday, according to the Iranian pro-reform outlet Shargh Daily. News of his release came as France announced that the French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah had also been released from Evin.
Meysami was jailed in 2018 after voicing his support for women protesting the compulsory hijab law. He was charged with "assembly and collusion to act against national security" and of "propaganda against the regime." according to a group focused on Iran, Human Rights Activists (HRANA).
    Images showing his frail body, protruding bones and shaved head caused outrage on social media when they surfaced last week. Prior to the emergence of the photos a human rights lawyer claiming to represent Meysami said his weight had decreased to 52 kilos (115 lb) and that he had been "beaten due to his resistance" to being transferred to a different prison.
      The text of a letter allegedly written by Meysami and provided to CNN by the lawyer, Mohammad Moghimi, showed that Meysami had gone on hunger strike to protest the execution of prisoners, to call for the release of several protesters and to demand the end of enforcement of the compulsory hijab law. CNN could not verify the authenticity of the letter.
      A picture of Iranian activist Farhad Meysami, who is reported to have gone on a hunger strike, surfaced on social media in early February.
      After the images of Meysami circulated online, state affiliated media last Friday denied the activist was on hunger strike, and said that he was in "