Roxana Saberi's release may shift hurdle to rapprochement with White House

Robert Tait

guardian.co.uk

May 11

An American-born journalist convicted of spying on Iran walked free from jail today after a court commuted her eight-year sentence in a move that may remove a barrier to rapprochement between Tehran and Washington.

Roxana Saberi, 32, was reunited with her parents after more than three months in prison. She had been first accused of working without press credentials before being found guilty of espionage.

Her release came a day after an appeal hearing against last month's conviction, which had been condemned by President Barack Obama and prompted an international clamour for her release.

The appeal judges replaced her original sentence with a two-year suspended term. Her lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, said that Saberi, who has worked for the BBC and National Public Radio in the US, was also banned from reporting inside Iran for five years.

Iranian officials said she was free to leave the country.

The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, welcomed the release. "Obviously, we continue to take issue with the charges against her and the verdicts rendered, but we are very heartened that she has been released, and wish her and her family all of the very best," she said.

Saberi's father, Reza Saberi, 68, an Iranian-born academic who emigrated to the US in the 1970s, said he and his Japanese-born wife, Akiko, intended to take their daughter back to the family home in Fargo, North Dakota.

"We will go back as soon as possible. We have to make some arrangements," he said outside Evin prison in Tehran. "She is in very good condition. We are very happy that they gave us such a break."

Saberi's parents had stayed in her flat in the Iranian capital after travelling from the US in an effort to win her release. Her father had vowed to remain in Iran for as long as it took to free his daughter. He appeared overcome with emotion as the journalist, who has lived in Iran for six years, emerged from prison, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Saberi was convicted after prosecutors alleged that she had procured classified information and passed it to the US. She was arrested in January and had originally told her parents in a telephone call that she had been detained after buying a bottle of wine, a crime under the Islamic Republic's laws.

Her father subsequently said that was a false statement given under duress. She was said to have been writing a book about the country at the time of her detention.

After her conviction at a closed hearing, her lawyer argued that he had not been able to mount a full defence. Saberi, who holds US and Iranian citizenship, denied all charges against her and, according to her father, went on hunger strike to protest her innocence. She reportedly resumed eating only last week after being admitted to hospital suffering from the ill effects of her fast. Her incarceration threatened to derail the Obama administration's hopes of forging a new relationship with Iran after 30 years of mutual hostility.

Obama dismissed the accusations against Saberi as baseless and called for her release.

In the face of the outcry, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wrote to the country's judiciary chiefs, saying that she should be given full rights of defence and appeal.

Some Iranian websites yesterday credited Ahmadinejad's intervention with securing Saberi's release, but said Iran had lost out because it had failed in return to win the release of diplomats that the government says are being held by American forces in Iraq.

"How come, after a few angry remarks from Obama and [US secretary of state] Hillary Clinton – expressed after their diplomatic smiles – Roxana Saberi turned from being a spy to a free citizen, while Iranian diplomats are still held in Iraq?" wrote the conservative website Tabnak.

Iran Careful in Response to US Criticism of Saberi Case

Edward Yeranian Cairo Voice of America April 20

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Roxana Saberi in a 2004 National Press Photographers Association file image

The head of Iran's judiciary has ordered a prompt and fair appeal process for imprisoned U.S.-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, who was convicted of spying last week after a one-day trial. Saberi's parents, who visited her in jail, report she is in good condition.

In what may be a sign that Iran is eager not to derail a nascent dialogue with the United States, the country's judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi is ordering a quick and fair appeal process for U.S. journalist Roxana Saberi. Saberi was convicted of spying Saturday, and sentenced to eight years in prison.

In a memo to the Tehran prosecutor, Shahroudi wrote Saberi must have "access to fair consideration in [her] case, especially at the appeals stage, [since this] is an undeniable right of the accused."

"Various aspects of this case," he added, "including material and moral elements of the crime, must be considered ... in a careful, quick and fair way.

Reza Saberi, the father of American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi holding her picture (File)

Saberi's parents also visited her in prison. Her mother, Akiko, said that she was happy because her daughter looked well.

"I think she is a stronger person than I thought," she said. "Her birthday is coming. Her birthday is this weekend and she is my birthday gift. And as far as she is healthy and she is taking good care of herself, I told her I will be o.k. Don't worry about me."

Saberi's father, Reza, complained that it took several hours to get inside the prison to see his daughter, and that they talked about a number things, including her situation.

"We talked about different things. We delivered some books that was a good news because she likes reading books and she said that she is with two other persons, two other ladies over there in the prison and she was looking forward for the appeal because she knew that this kind of verdict was too heavy for her," he said.

He also urged the judge to be "compassionate" in his decision and "pay close attention to all the evidence." Her mother went on to insist that her daughter could "never be a spy."

U.S. President Barack Obama indicated he was "gravely worried" about Saberi's safety and well-being, and called for Tehran to release her. He also said he is certain Saberi was "not engaged in any sort of espionage."

Saberi's trial and conviction have poured cold water on efforts by the Obama administration to resume dialogue with Iran, after a 30 year hiatus in diplomatic relations.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi said President Obama should not pass judgment without knowing the details of the case. He says he advises not to comment on a lawsuit until its content is revealed. He says fortunately the Iranian judicial system has paid full consideration to the process of retrieving rights, such as the right of appealing a verdict in higher judicial references, and this right has also been reserved for Ms. Saberi and her lawyer.

Responding to criticism Saberi had not been able to consult her attorney at all stages of her trial, Qashqavi insisted she would have access to him. He says that the ongoing judicial process regarding her case has been in full accordance with the law, and that includes granting her access to her lawyer.

Iran's Press TV reported that Qashqavi also urged the United States to release five Iranians arrested by U.S. forces in Kurdistan in 2007. Iran claims that the five, who belong to the elite al-Quds Forces, were "abducted."

Iran experts say Tehran has been trying to pressure the United States into releasing the men by arresting dual-national scholars and journalists. Iran is believed to be holding former FBI agent Robert Levinson, in addition to several Iranian-Americans.