The Iranian regime has U-turned on its decision to execute a 16-year-old as a crowd swelled outside to welcome her to freedom.
Sonia Sharifi, 16, was supposed to be hung yesterday, but her life was thankfully spared and she was released from Ilam prison in western Iran at around 3pm.
Sonia claims to have been repeatedly beaten during her three months jail.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized her during the women's rights protests that have gripped t he country for three months after another teen, Kurdish schoolgirl Mahsa Amini, was murdered while in the custody of the morality police.
The Iranian regime had accused her of crimes against god and the religion of Islam for taking part in the protest - a crime that carries the death penalty.
Videos on social media showed a huge crowd coming to meet Sonia after her release from prison and the jubilant teen greeting them on a stage.
It comes after German politician Katja Leikert who is the MP for Hanau in the Bundestag revealed she had 'politically adopted' Sonia's case, part of an initiative by the International Society for Human Rights.
The idea is that politicians around the world adopt cases of political prisoners facing persecution in other countries to campaign for their release,
Leikert who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag since 2013 said on Twitter : "The 16-year-old Sonia Sharifi was arrested a month ago by the Iranian regime. I have taken out a political adoption for her, and I'm campaigning for her release."
Members of Parliament are urged to select a specific political prisoner and then use their position to campaign for their freedom which includes contacting the relevant government and embassies, and also attempting to raise international awareness.
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Shirin Ebadi who supports the project said: "It is the special responsibility of politicians to make the human rights situation around the world an issue - not just in their own.
"The violation of human rights must not be accepted anywhere, because all people are free and born with equal rights. Politicians should actively raise human rights issues in bilateral talks with the Iranian government."
She added that in particular media exposure was important stating: "Even torture states like the Islamic Republic of Iran or the People's Republic of China want to maintain a semblance of legality to the outside world. Politically and economically,
"Germany is an extraordinarily important country for both countries. Experience shows that countries such as Iran are very tentative to requests from German MPs and events that affect Iran.
"In the past, the actions of politicians have resulted in very significant improvements for the vast majority of prisoners served: commutation of death sentences to prison terms, significant reductions in arbitrary prison sentences, an end to the ill-treatment and, in many cases, release."
In the case of Sonia Sharifi, the Iranian officials told the family she could be released on bail, but set the amount at USD 30,000, which the family were unable to raise.
A friend of the girl said: "Her family is poor and her father is a construction worker. They cannot afford to pay the heavy bail."
