U.S. journalist charged with espionage

A United States journalist was sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty of espionage by the Iranian government.

Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old Iranian-American from North Dakota has been living in Iran since 2003, freelancing for several prominent news outlets including National Public Radio, BBC, ABC and Fox.

In 2006 her media credentials were revoked by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which allows journalists to work in the country.

“According to National Public Radio, Saberi continued to file short news items with government permission,” the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a journalists’ advocacy group said.

Saberi was first detained in January, though no formal charges were provided said the CPJ.

“She told her family that she was initially held for buying a bottle of wine. A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said later that Saberi was being detained at Tehran’s Evin Prison for reporting ‎without proper accreditation.”

Evin Prison frequently detains prisoners for political and social defiance. “At least two journalists have died ‎there in the last six years amid circumstances that have not been fully explained,” ‎said the CPJ.

On April 8 Saberi was charged with espionage, “Without press credentials and under the name of being a reporter, she was carrying out espionage activities,” Hassan Haddad, Iranian deputy public prosecutor said.

On Monday, Saberi went before a Revolutionary Court for a one-day trial that was closed to the public. Reporters Without Borders said, “Saberi’s lawyer was not with her when she appeared before the judges for the single hearing on 13 April.”

Iran media is strictly censored, and has one of the worst records for press harassment and imprisonment in the world. Not only does the censorship programs limit the availability of information, but also influences of western culture, or anything divergent from religious standards.

“The Iranian regime censors thousands of websites it considers “non-Islamic” and harasses and imprisons online journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said one their website. They also classify the censorship situation in Iran as “very serious”.

Saberi’s lawyer said he would appeal the sentence within 20 days.

Her detainment has caused stress between the United States and Iran, as new talks between both Presidents have been previously fruitful.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was “deeply disappointed” by the news. “We are working closely with the Swiss Protecting Presence to obtain details about the court’s decision, and to ensure her well-being,” Clinton said in a statement.