Iran’s Ahmadinejad asks for fair appeal for Roxana

In what some Iranians deem an unusual move, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to the prosecutor in Tehran asking for a fair appeal for Roxana Saberi.

Below is an excerpt from Ahmadinejad's letter, as reported by Iranian government news agency, IRNA:

"Please take the necessary measures to ensure that the process of examining the charges against the aforementioned individuals are being carried out carefully and fairness, justice and regulations are observed...Please, personally observe the process to ensure that the defendants are allowed all legal rights and freedom in defending themselves and that their rights are not violated even by one iota."

However, President Ahmadinejad also told the news agency that Iran must protect its security and independence from outside threats. Perhaps, a reaction to U.S. officials calling the charges against Roxana Saberi "baseless."

Middle East regional expert, Mustafa Alani, told Bloomberg, “Iran is sending a clear message that Iranian security is a priority which will not be compromised." Alani also told Bloomberg that the Iranian government may have jailed Roxana Saberi as a show of strength. And, perhaps, as a magnanimous gesture officials will later reverse the decision.

In the meantime, despite letters, statements, interviews and outcries...Roxana remains in jail. In an interview with the BBC, Roxana's mother, Akito Saberi, said she is most concerned about her daughter's health.

Roxana has shown unbelievable courage in her quest to cover stories in Iran. She should be honored, as should all journalists who take risks to find the truth.

PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. CLICK ON THIS LINK AND WRITE A MESSAGE TO ROXANA SABERI.

Iran convicts American journalist of espionage

This is a sad day for Roxana Saberi and her family. Iran convicted the American reporter of spying on Iran for the United States and sentenced her to eight years. As one online reporter aptly stated, "Where is the outrage? Why aren’t Americans calling for immediate action by the Obama administration to free American journalist Roxana Saberi?"

And...I also ask...where is the outrage? But, then I think, will "outrage" help or hurt her? Will angry Americans only deepen Iran's resolve to imprison Roxana Saberi? Yet how can we remain silent, as one of our own journalists is wrongly convicted during a secret trial in Tehran?

This marks the first time Iran has found an American journalist guilty of spying.

Saberi's father told NPR that Iranian officials duped his daughter into making incriminating statements by promising to set her free.

President Obama is "deeply disappointed" by the news, according to a White House official. For the past 30 years, diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States have remained at a standstill (if not volatile). Most likely, the verdict will dampen the Obama Administration's efforts to open up communication with Iran and to improve relations.

But hope remains. Roxana's attorney plans to appeal. And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she will continue to monitor the situation closely and hopes to get Roxana home soon.

"Posturing," my Iranian friend tells me. He believes the Iranian government is trying to make a point to the international community. All the talk, all the press, all the efforts to free Roxana have backfired and only fueled the Iranian government to convict her. In the meantime, some Iranians may want to sabotage efforts to heal relations with the United States. Is Roxana a pawn...leverage in negotiations with the U.S. government?

Please light a candle or say a prayer for Roxana Saberi tonight. And visit the website: FREE ROXANA!

There must be a way to bring her home peacefully.

Esha & Roxana - help them, Hillary.

Esha Momeni is supposed to graduate from Cal State Northridge this spring. But she remains in Iran, free from prison but banned from leaving the country. Before her arrest, Momeni had been interviewing Iranian women for her Master's Thesis - an apparent threat to national security in the Islamic Republic.

In the meantime today, an American NPR reporter detained in Iran since January has been charged with espionage. Roxana Saberi is accused of spying on the Iranian government while posing as a journalist.

Hopes remain high that the Obama Administration may be able to secure their release. (Please Hillary...do something!) And initial steps have been taken. According to Secretary of State Clinton, the State Department is working for Roxana Saberi's release through the help of Swiss intermediaries. As for Esha Momeni, Clinton said U.S. officials also gave a letter to Iranian representatives during a meeting in the Netherlands. The letter requested Iran's help in resolving Esha's case.

(YOU can help, too. Please sign the petitions below.)

ESHA MOMENI

As a dual American-Iranian citizen, Esha traveled to Tehran to work on her Master's thesis in Woman Studies. She is accused of acting against national security, because she videotaped and conducted interviews with Iranian women about their lives and work.

As a result of her effort to spread awareness about Iran, Esha has endured solitary confinement, detention and interrogation. Her family has paid thousands in bail. And now Esha faces the possibility of never returning home or, perhaps, imprisonment once again.

PETITION FOR THE RELEASE OF ESHA MOMENI

ROXANA SABERI

American Roxana Saberi, an internationally respected journalist, moved to Iran and worked as a freelance reporter for NPR and the BBC. Her press pass was revoked in 2006, but Saberi stayed to work on her masters studies.

However, Saberi still continued to file reports for NPR in the United States despite the fact she no longer carried a legitimate Iranian press pass. This is illegal in Iran. And, as an Iranian citizen, she, apparently, broke the law.

But this poses the question...does it matter that she is a U.S. citizen reporting for U.S. media outlets? Saberi holds dual citizenship with Iran and the United States. However, Iran does not recognize U.S. citizenship. Therefore, the government only considers Saberi an Iranian citizen who must have a proper permit to act as a foreign journalist.

Saberi was arrested in Tehran after purchasing a bottle of wine and then later accused of spying. She has accepted all the charges, and The Revolutionary Court plans to review her case and issue a verdict.

FACEBOOK PETITION FOR THE RELEASE OF ROXANA SABERI

Vigil for Esha

The good news of Esha's release has faded a bit. Although the Cal-State Northridge student is no longer in jail, the Iranian government will not permit her to leave the country and fly back to the United States. Esha must stand before a political tribunal on the charge of acting ‘against national security’ and ‘propagating against the Islamic Republic.’ Her father told the Los Angeles Times that he posted $200,000 bail for her release.

Esha is an inspiration. Displaying courage and passion for Women's Issues, she assumed great risk to expand her education. Esha should be commended for trying to bridge the cultural gap between Americans and Iranians and spreading awareness about her home country.

Students at Cal-State Northridge gathered for a vigil last night to celebrate her release...in the hopes she will be permitted to return home soon.

Please see the For-Esha Blogspot for more information.


Video from the Los Angeles Daily News.

Esha...Free!

Joyous news to share! Esha has been released on bail and plans to return to the United States as soon as possible! Thank you to all who signed the petition to free Esha from Evin Prison. Please click on the link below to learn more about the details of her release.

Iranian Authorities Release U.S. Student

Free Esha

I heard her story while driving up from San Diego. KNX News Radio blaring, as I wove through traffic along the 5 freeway. A young Iranian-American imprisoned...worlds away from my trip through Orange County. Her name...Esha Momeni.

I am an Irish Catholic girl with a Persian last name - Maleki. My marriage has tied me to many beautiful Iranians who have spoken about love, poetry, tragedy, culture and hope. Perhaps that is why I couldn't turn the dial; I couldn't stop thinking about what happened to Esha and why she has been prevented from teaching the world more about the women of Iran and her family's incredible home. The home of my husband's family...people who long to share what is true and beautiful about Iran.

I write about this carefully. I choose my words wisely, as I know that a courageous woman prays for her release in a faraway prison.

///

October 15th. Esha Momeni drove down a highway in Tehran. The 28-year-old Cal-State Northridge student began her journey in Iran two months earlier, feverishly working to complete her Masters thesis project - a documentary focusing on the Iranian Women's Movement.

Written by Esha Momeni (2007):
Iran and all that makes it unique - steep streets, narrow alleys and unmarked homes - is still the land of promise that we hold dear to our hearts. The women of this land are peacefully writing a glorious end to the bitter long story of inequality and injustice. Iran is still the covenant to those hands that would like to wash the mud of distress from the yarns of this land in the stream of peace and unity. Only then we can resurrect equality and knit white wings for the dove that represents unity.

Sirens came on. Men identifying themselves as undercover police pulled Esha over for a supposed traffic violation. They took Esha into custody. Her journey to uncover the female experience in Iran had taken a frightening turn.

Now in solitary confinement in the notorious Evin Prison, Esha faces the possibility of torture and mistreatment.

But - in the eyes of the Iranian Government - what has Esha done wrong? She has not officially been charged with any crime. Why would police arrest an Iranian-American for a traffic violation?

Iranian police searched Esha's home in the city and confiscated her laptop and video she had taken. As part of her documentary, Esha conducted interviews with Iranian women about their experiences living in the Middle East. Women who want change and equality - members of the One Million Signature Movement: a campaign to end discriminatory laws against women in Iran.

Another possible reason? Esha is a member of the Campaign for Equality, a two-year-old group that also works to end Iranian laws that discriminate against women. Apparently, many supporters of the campaign have been arrested and Iranian authorities have worked to shut down the website.

According to Amnesty International, Officials of Iran's Revolutionary Court told the family no information about the case will be released until the investigation is complete.

Esha holds dual citizenship with the United States and Iran (which does not recognize dual citzenship). And the United States, having no diplomatic representation in Iran, must work through the Swiss Embassy to gain information about the case. Previously, the Iranian government has said the arrest of a U.S.-Iranian citizen is an internal matter.

In a statement on the Cal-State Northridge website, President Jolene Koester said:
She is a student invested in learning and understanding current conditions in the country of her family's origin. Anyone who values knowledge and the role of academic inquiry in shedding light on the human condition should be concerned.

Amnesty International is monitoring Esha's situation, as friends and family work for her release.

PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK AND SIGN THE PETITION TO HELP FREE ESHA!