IRAN: American-Iranian journalist sentenced

21 April 2009

RAN 15/09 - Update #1

The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN is seriously concerned about the eight-year prison sentence handed down to Iranian-American journalist and writer Roxana Saberi. International PEN seeks information on the grounds for the charges against her. PEN fears that she may be held solely for the peaceful exercise of her right to free expression, and therefore in violation of Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory. If so, International PEN calls for her immediate and unconditional release.

Roxana Saberi was arrested in late January 2009 for buying alcohol, which is prohibited in Iran. Later, in early March it was reported that her detention was linked to her allegedly ‘illegal' and ‘unauthorised' activities as a journalist in Iran since 2006, when her press credentials were revoked. However, on 18 April 2009 she was sentenced behind closed doors by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran to eight years in prison for ‘espionage'. Her defence announced they will file an appeal within the next twenty days. According to Roxana Saberi's father, she had made confessions under pressure during her pre-trial detention. At her trial, she retracted these confessions, but they were still used against her in court. No information on the evidence of the charge of ‘espionage' has been made public.

On 19 April, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to the public prosecutor asking him to ensure that Roxana Saberi is given the opportunity to exercise all legal rights. On 20 April, Iran's Head of the Judiciary Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi requested the prosecutor to reconsider the case ‘quickly and fairly'.

Roxana Saberi is currently held in Ward 209 of Tehran's Evin prison. On 20 April, it was reported that Saberi's parents had been allowed to visit her in prison and that she appeared to be in good health.

More information:
For the previous WiPC alert see: http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/index.cfm?objectid=FF71616B-3048-676E-26C77C030D67A5D8
Amnesty International: http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/iran-roxana-saberi-hostage-strained-political-us-iranian-relations-20090
The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/19/iran-america-journalist-sentence/print
BBC:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8007822.stm
CPJ: http://cpj.org/2009/04/iranian-president-orders-review-of-roxana-saberis.php
Free Roxana Saberi's website: http://freeroxana.net/