Ramin Jahanbegloo, a prominent Iranian political philosopher and the current occupant of the prestigious Rajni Kothari chair in Democracy at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in New Delhi, has been set free in Tehran after four months in jail.

Jahanbegloo, who has also written in The Indian Express, was arrested in April, days after he returned from a six-month teaching programme in New Delhi. A Canadian-Iranian, he was later accused of spying.

A Reuters report from Ottawa quoted Canadian officials as confirming his release. “The Department of Foreign Affairs is pleased that Professor Ramin Jahanbegloo has been released from detention in Iran,” said spokesman Rodney Moore.

Jahanbegloo’s release was first reported by Iranian news agencies.

Jahanbegloo has authored a work on Mahatma Gandhi. His most recent published work is Talking India: Ashis Nandy in conversation with Ramin Jahanbegloo, (Oxford University Press) which focuses on the global dialogue of cultures. He has worked and lectured on democracy in Iran and how the Islamic Republic can engage with the West. He has also written on the importance of acknowledging the Holocaust. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has questioned the Holocaust.