The leader of the outlawed Iran Freedom Movement has returned home from the United States to face criminal charges. 

Ebrahim Yazdi told a crowd of more than 200 supporters greeting him at the airport in Tehran Saturday that he will not back down from his political activities. 

The ailing 70-year-old dissident has been receiving medical treatment in the United States for more than a year. 

Last July, Iran issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Yazdi and about 60 other dissidents from the Iran Freedom Movement, charging them with attempting to overthrow the country's Islamic system. The group maintains it is a non-violent organization acting within Iranian law. 

There are no reports of attempts that any immediate attempt was made to arrest Mr. Yazdi as he returned home today. 

He was a high official in the Iranian government set up after the 1979 Islamic revolution, but later joined those who opposed the country's Muslim clerics as they consolidated power and crushed dissent. 

Mr. Yazdi's return follows the death last week of Freedom Movement co-founder Yadollah Sahabi. 

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

Email this article to a friend.
Printer Friendly Version