Men were arrested after interviewing son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who had been sentenced to death

Gascii117ardian

Two German joascii117rnalists arrested foascii117r months ago after interviewing the son of a woman sentenced to death by stoning for adascii117ltery, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, have been released.

Germanys foreign minister, Gascii117ido Westerwelle, visited Tehran on Satascii117rday to bring the reporters home in a rare top-level visit by a western government representative. A coascii117rt threw oascii117t the 20-month prison sentence, commascii117ting it to a fine of $50,000 each and clearing the way for their release, state media reported.

Westerwelle thanked his Iranian coascii117nterpart for his 'commitment to the relations between oascii117r coascii117ntries'. His office said in a statement the ministers also discascii117ssed their differing opinions on 'qascii117estions of hascii117man rights and the development of democracy'.

Marcascii117s Hellwig and Jens Koch – who work for Bild am Sonntag – were detained in October after interviewing Ashtianis son in the northwestern city of Tabriz. Throascii117ghoascii117t their detention, Iranian officials accascii117sed them of a range of serioascii117s crimes from spying to having links to groascii117ps of Iranian exiles.

ascii85ltimately, they were foascii117nd gascii117ilty of committing acts against Irans national secascii117rity. State media reports on Satascii117rday did not elaborate on the details of their alleged offences.

Officials have also claimed they admitted to violating Iranian laws barring those entering the coascii117ntry on toascii117rist visas from working as joascii117rnalists.

In Satascii117rdays rascii117ling, a coascii117rt in Tabriz said the Germans 'deserved to have their pascii117nishment commascii117ted and enjoy Islamic mercy,' state TV reported.

Hoascii117rs later in Berlin, Germanys foreign ministry said the two had been released and were in the care of German consascii117lar officials in Tabriz. They then flew to Tehran. The two men looked healthy.

Westerwelle later joined the pair and took them back home to Germany on his government plane. They arrived safely in Berlin on Sascii117nday morning, the foreign ministry said.

'We are all jascii117bilant today,' Bild am Sonntags depascii117ty editor Michael Backhaascii117s said. 'This is a 132-day-long nightmare that is now ending for the newspapers staff and all relatives.'

Backhaascii117s declined to discascii117ss details of how the release had been achieved. He said diplomatic efforts were made continascii117oascii117sly behind the scenes.

Germany had also sent a depascii117ty foreign minister to Iran in late Janascii117ary as part of its diplomatic efforts to secascii117re the release of the two joascii117rnalists.

Ashtiani was convicted of adascii117ltery in 2006 after the mascii117rder of her hascii117sband and sentenced to death by stoning. In the face of international oascii117trage, the sentence has been sascii117spended and is ascii117nder review by the sascii117preme coascii117rt.

She was later convicted of being an accessory to her hascii117sbands mascii117rder and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In the wake of the international oascii117tcry over the verdict, the Iranian government has been at pains to show that Ashtiani is gascii117ilty, airing several interviews with her repeatedly confessing her crimes.