A 25-year-old Spanish woman released from an Iranian prison earlier this week said on Thursday she kept her morale up by focusing on freedom and the knowledge that she had done nothing wrong.
Ana Baneira, her hair short after prison, has returned home after being jailed in Iran for more than four months for alleged spying.
She said that not knowing the charges against her for many days while being unable to communicate with other prisoners, who spoke no Spanish or English, was probably the hardest part.
“At the start, the uncertainty made it very hard. You fear you'd be accused of spying, which ended up happening,” she said.
“You keep hoping that you'll be freed because you've done nothing wrong. The problem is that days go by and they don't release you, so you force yourself into thinking you'll get out.”
Ms Baneira, who works for a human rights NGO but says she is not an activist, denied taking part in anti-government protests that started after her September 6 arrival in Iran as a backpacker following a tour of Georgia and Armenia.
Demonstrations against Iran's clerical leadership have swept the country since mid-September, when a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died in the custody of the morality police, who had detained her for wearing “inappropriate attire”.
Ms Baneira said she was detained in mid-October a day after visiting an immigration office to request a visa extension that would allow her to stay longer in the country.
Iran protests 40 days since Mahsa Amini's death — in pictures
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An unveiled woman stands on top of a vehicle as thousands make their way towards Aichi cemetery in Saqez, Mahsa Amini's home town, to mark 40 days since her death. AFP -
Protesters attempt to dodge projectiles fired at them during clashes at Iran's Islamic Azad University in Tehran. AFP -
Protesters gather at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran. AFP -
A man, bottom left, fires a weapon during the clashes at Islamic Azad University. AFP -
Protesters chant at a vigil for Amini at the entrance of the Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology in Tehran. Reuters -
Iranian police arrive to disperse a protest marking 40 days since Amini's death. AP -
People block an intersection during a protest to mark 40 days since Amini's death. AP -
People march down the motorway towards Aichi cemetery near Saqez, where Amini is buried. Reuters -
People march towards Aichi cemetary. Reuters -
Protesters walk towards the cemetery. Reuters -
A view of demonstrators walking to the cemetery. Reuters -
Cars line the street as people march towards the cemetery. Reuters -
Protesters march towards the cemetery 40 days after Amini's death. Reuters
At the time of her arrest, she was sitting inside a car with an Iranian friend at a petrol station on their way to the ancient Achaemenid capital of Persepolis.
Another Spanish citizen, 41-year-old Santiago Sanchez, was also charged with espionage by Iranian authorities and has been in custody since October.
He was completing a 6,800-kilometre trek on foot from Madrid to Qatar to attend the World Cup there.
Mahsa Amini protests in Iran and around the world — in pictures
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Demonstrators chant slogans during the March of Solidarity for Iran in Washington. AFP -
Another group of demonstrators at the march. AFP -
A protest in support of Iranian women in Barcelona. Reuters -
Iranian citizens and locals joined in the Barcelona protest. Reuters -
People attend a demonstration in solidarity with Mahsa Amini and other Iranian women in Castello Square, Turin. EPA -
A person places a candle during the demonstration in Turin. EPA -
A protester holds a pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flag during a demonstration in Brussels in support of the Iranians fighting for their freedom. AFP -
A protester wearing a top with a logo that reads 'No to an Islamic state" as she takes part in a rally in support of the Iranian people, in Brussels. AFP -
People wave the Shah-era Iranian flag during a protest in Paris. AFP -
A woman shows her true colours in the protest against the Iranian government, in Paris. AFP -
A woman holds a flag, as people protest against the Iranian regime outside Iran's embassy in central London. Reuters -
Supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) carry placards and wave party flags in Beirut, during a protest against the death of Ms Amini. EPA -
People demonstrate against the Iranian government outside the Houses of Parliament in London following the death of Amini. Reuters -
A mural in Paris depicts women cutting their hair to show support for Iranian protesters. AP -
People take part in a rally against the Iranian government in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday. AP -
Protesters take to the streets of Tehran. EPA -
Iranian protesters run after clashing with with police. EPA -
A protester shaves their head outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Reuters -
Iranians living in Athens hold a protest in solidarity. AFP -
People take part in a rally in The Hague. AFP -
A woman cuts her hair during a demonstration in Santiago, Chile, by feminist groups and Iranian migrants in support of Iranian women following the death of Amini. AFP -
Members of feminist groups and Iranian migrants during the protests in Santiago. AFP -
Iranian activists shout slogans during a protest against the government in Tehran, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. EPA -
A protester holds a painted portrait of Mahsa Amini in Berlin, Germany. EPA -
A protester shows red paint on her face, resembling blood splatters and bloody handprints next to the national Iranian emblem, during a rally in Berlin. EPA -
Iranian protesters shout slogan during a protest in Istanbul, Turkey. EPA -
A woman holds a sign during a protest against the Iranian government, in front of the country's embassy in Madrid, Spain. The protests were triggered by the death of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody. Reuters -
A woman cuts her hair during the protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Madrid. Reuters -
Israelis show their support for women in Iran as they hold up placards of Amini during a protest in Jerusalem. EPA -
Amini, 22, was arrested in Tehran on September 13, 2022, by the morality police. She fell into a coma while in police custody and was declared dead on September 16. EPA -
People walk by graffiti in support of the protests triggered by Amini's death, in Jerusalem. EPA -
A protest in Nantes, western France, after the death of Amini in Iranian police custody. AFP -
Women gather for a demonstration in Barcelona, Spain. AFP -
Demonstrators in Nantes. Amini's death has sparked a global protest movement. AFP -
Women protest outside the town hall in in Montpellier, southern France. AFP -
A woman at a protest in Catalunya Square, Barcelona. Reuters -
Campaigners and football fans protest at a Champions League match between Porto and Bayer Leverkusen at the Dragao stadium in Portugal. EPA -
People hold placards during a demonstration in solidarity with the Iranian people near the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. EPA -
An Iranian woman living in Turkey with 'Freedom' written on her forehead takes part in a protest near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Reuters -
In Barcelona, protesters take part in a demonstration in support of Iranian women. AFP -
A Lebanese activist takes part in a protest in Beirut, triggered by the death of Amini, 22. AP -
A Turkish protester takes off her head scarf while giving a performance in Instanbul during a protest against Iran over Amini's death. Getty -
A woman in Istanbul cuts her hair during a protest against Iran. Getty -
A Lebanese activist holds a poster depicting Amini during a protest in Beirut organised by feminist groups in support of women protesters in Iran. EPA -
Demonstrators in Los Angeles, California, hold the Iranian flag during a protest against the government in Tehran. AFP -
Demonstrators hold placards in Mexico City during a protest against Iran. Reuters -
People demonstrate in Montreal, Canada, during a protest triggered by Amini's death. AFP -
Iranian Americans participate in a rally in central Los Angeles, in solidarity with women in Iran. AP -
Demonstrators march during a protest in Los Angeles, California. AFP -
A woman with the colours of the Iranian flag painted on her face participates in a rally as thousands demonstrate in support of Iranian women in Los Angeles. EPA -
Australians protest over Amini's death in Melbourne. EPA -
Police block protesters from entering Iran's embassy in Oslo, Norway. EPA -
Demonstrators in front of the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, during a rally against Iran. EPA -
A candlelight vigil for Amini in Los Angeles. AFP -
Afghan women hold placards as they take part in a protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Kabul. AFP -
Protestors take part in a rally outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. AFP -
An Iranian woman shows a lock of hair she cut off during a protest outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. EPA -
Demonstrators outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Getty -
Iranian Americans rally on Capitol Hill in Washington to show support for protesters in Iran. AFP -
Protesters on Capitol Hill hold a sign condemning the crackdown by Tehran. AFP -
German demonstrators gather in Berlin after the death of Amini in Iranian police custody. AP -
A protester cries during a rally in Berlin. Reuters -
A demonstration in Madrid, Spain. Thousands have gathered in cities across Europe to support protests in Iran. AP -
Demonstrators gather outside the Iranian embassy in Madrid. Reuters -
People take part in a protest in Lausanne, Switzerland. EPA -
Protesters hold signs featuring images of Amini during the protest in the western Swiss city. EPA -
Demonstrators in front of the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. EPA -
An activist outside the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a sign that reads 'Justice for Mahsa Amini'. AFP -
A demonstration against violence in Iran is held in Quito, Ecuador. The Iranian community in Ecuador protested outside the Iranian embassy. EPA -
Protesters at a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy in Quito, Ecuador. EPA
Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Thursday to press for Mr Sanchez's release, a diplomatic source told Reuters.
Ms Baneira said she was “super happy” to be back in her north-western hometown of A Coruna and added that she felt grateful for Madrid's efforts to secure her freedom.
