Source: Committee to
Protect Journalists
|
Roxana Saberi |
On Monday, the parents of detained Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi
left their home in
Fargo,
North Dakota, to go see their daughter in
Iran.
Saberi has been held in
Tehran's Evin prison since January 31. Reza and
Akiko Saberi are scheduled to arrive in
Iran on Wednesday. Since Saberi was
picked up at the end of January, Iranian officials have issued conflicting
reasons for the detention.
Earlier this month, an official at the public
prosecutor's office was quoted by Iranian news agency ISNA as having said that
Saberi's case was coming to a close and that she would be released shortly. But
last week, The New York Times and other news outlets reported that
Saberi had been told that she would remain in prison for "months or even years."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton told journalists at a conference on Afghanistan taking place at The
Hague today that the State Department had delivered a letter to Iranian
officials present at the talks urging Tehran to make a "humanitarian gesture"
toward Saberi and two other U.S. citizens who are currently being held in
Iran--Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared two years ago while on
a business trip, and Esha Momeni, an Iranian-American student detained
last year.
The letter, excerpts of which
were released to the press, asked
Iran "to use all its facilities to
determine the whereabouts and ensure the quick and safe return of Robert
Levinson, and grant the release of Roxana Saberi, and permission to travel for
Roxana Saberi and Esha Momeni."
Clinton said that these acts "would certainly
constitute a humanitarian gesture by the Islamic Republic of Iran in keeping
with the spirit of renewal and generosity that marks the Persian new year."
... Payvand News - 04/01/09 ... --
