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Iran orders probe of jailed U.S. journalist's case
Ali Akbar Dareini - Associated Press
Issue date: 4/21/09 Section: News
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's judiciary ordered a full investigation Monday into the case of an American journalist imprisoned for allegedly spying for the U.S. and allowed the woman's parents to visit her for the first time since she was sentenced to eight years in prison.
The developments in the case of Roxana Saberi appear to be the latest signs that some senior Iranian officials want to ensure tensions over the case do not derail moves toward a dialogue with the Obama administration to break a 30-year diplomatic deadlock between the two countries.
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton renewed calls for Iran to release Saberi said she hoped for positive action from the judiciary chief's investigation order.
"We believe she should be freed immediately, that the charges against her are baseless and that she has been subjected to a process that has been non-transparent, unpredictable (and) arbitrary," Clinton told reporters.
Saberi, who was born in the U.S. and grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, was convicted of espionage last week after a one-day trial behind closed doors. Her Iranian-born father, Reza, told The Associated Press that he and his wife visited their daughter in Evin prison north of Tehran.
"She seems to be OK," he said. "She was looking forward for the appeal because she knows that this kind of verdict was too heavy for her."
The judiciary chief's order came a day after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to Tehran's chief prosecutor urging him to ensure Saberi be allowed a full defense during her appeal. It was a rare request from an Iranian president and came at a time when President Barack Obama has been seeking engagement with Iran's leaders.
However, Iran's Foreign Ministry took a swipe Monday at President Barack Obama, saying "those who studied law" should not comment on the case without seeing the context. It was a clear reference to Obama, who has a law degree from Harvard University and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago before becoming president.
The developments in the case of Roxana Saberi appear to be the latest signs that some senior Iranian officials want to ensure tensions over the case do not derail moves toward a dialogue with the Obama administration to break a 30-year diplomatic deadlock between the two countries.
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton renewed calls for Iran to release Saberi said she hoped for positive action from the judiciary chief's investigation order.
"We believe she should be freed immediately, that the charges against her are baseless and that she has been subjected to a process that has been non-transparent, unpredictable (and) arbitrary," Clinton told reporters.
Saberi, who was born in the U.S. and grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, was convicted of espionage last week after a one-day trial behind closed doors. Her Iranian-born father, Reza, told The Associated Press that he and his wife visited their daughter in Evin prison north of Tehran.
"She seems to be OK," he said. "She was looking forward for the appeal because she knows that this kind of verdict was too heavy for her."
The judiciary chief's order came a day after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to Tehran's chief prosecutor urging him to ensure Saberi be allowed a full defense during her appeal. It was a rare request from an Iranian president and came at a time when President Barack Obama has been seeking engagement with Iran's leaders.
However, Iran's Foreign Ministry took a swipe Monday at President Barack Obama, saying "those who studied law" should not comment on the case without seeing the context. It was a clear reference to Obama, who has a law degree from Harvard University and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago before becoming president.
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