US journalist freed from Iran
American journalist Roxana Saberi was released from a Tehran, Iran prison this month. After spending over four months in one of the perhaps most notoriously unfair prison systems on the map of the world, the Northwestern University graduate will return to the United States map as soon as possible according to her lawyers.
Her original eight year sentence was trimmed down to a two year suspended sentence. A suspended sentence means that if she commits another crime her record will be updated.
Saberi was charged with collecting and passing on information to U.S. intelligence officials. After her arrest she was interrogated for weeks and convicted after only an hour long trial. Her sentence has been reduced, but the espionage charge still stands in her conviction. She was detained initially not for her alleged espionage charges, but for buying alcohol, which is prohibited in Iran.
The appellate court ruled that the Iran Court applied the wrong article of the penal court, that plus the political pressure most likely led to the sentence being reduced.
Saberi is now free to leave the country and return to the US map, the turnaround of decision from the court was said to be abrupt.
This case has become a diplomatic turning point for talks between Iran and the United States. The move to release Saberi was seen as good public relations for both parties involved.
This is not the first American Iran has detained. In October a California State University at Northridge student was detained for being part of a women’s rights campaign. Her charges were later dropped, but she, Esha Momeni, is still not allowed to leave Iran.
One has to wonder why Saberi got the preferential treatment, most likely because she is a journalist. It has to be disheartening for Momeni to still be unable to leave Iran,( while Saberi does.
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