Iran To Probe "Mock Trial" Of Reporter

Judiciary Chief Orders Investigation Into Case Of U.S. Journalist Roxana Saberi Who Was Convicted Of Spying

(CBS/AP)  Iran's official news agency said the country's judiciary chief has ordered a full investigation into the case of a U.S. journalist Roxana Saberi, who was convicted of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison.

Iran's judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi on Monday ordered a full investigation into Saberi's case during the appeals process. He said the probe should be "precise, quick and fair," according to the official news agency IRNA.

Ayatollah Shahroudi's order Monday comes a day after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saberi, a North Dakota native who worked for NPR and the BBC, should be allowed to offer a full defense during her appeal.

Iran has released very few facts about Saberi's case and initially said she was arrested in January for working without press credentials. The government later charged the 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen with spying for the United States and convicted her in a one-day trial behind closed doors.

The journalist's Iranian-born father, Reza Saberi, has said his daughter was not provided a proper defense during her trial. He called the proceedings "a mock trial" during an interview with CNN on Sunday from Iran, where he traveled with his wife to seek his daughter's release.

"Obviously I am gravely concerned with her safety and well being," President Barack Obama said Sunday during a press conference at the conclusion of the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad. "We are working to make sure she is properly treated and to get more information about the disposition of her case.

"She is an American citizen and I have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any espionage," Mr. Obama said. "She is an Iranian American who is interested in the country which her family came from; it is appropriate that she be treated as such."

He said he wanted to ensure a "proper disposition of this case."

Mr. Obama's comments sparked a pointed response from Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi.

"I advise those who studied law not to comment on a case without seeing its context," Qashqavi told reporters during his weekly press briefing Monday.

President Obama studied law at Harvard University and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago.

Qashqavi said the charges against Saberi included "gathering information and news in an illegal way," and remarked that Saberi was treated like any other Iranian citizen during her trial. (Iran's legal system does not recognize dual nationality.)

On CBS News' Face The Nation, White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod said the Obama administration was very concerned. "We think the charges were totally unwarranted and inappropriate," Axelrod told CBS News' Harry Smith. "And we will be communicating through the appropriate channels to do whatever we can to help secure her release."

As the U.S. does not currently have normal diplomatic relations with Iran, such conversations would be conducted through intermediaries, such as the U.S. Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Monday he wants to travel to Iran with a delegation to personally appeal for Saberi's release.

"We need all those that have a voice to help us appeal to Iran to please let her go," Jackson said at a university forum during a visit to Malaysia.

"Leaders of wisdom must not allow this young woman to be a pawn in a bigger debate and lose focus on so many possibilities," Jackson added.

Behind-The-Scenes In Tehran

Saberi's imprisonment and conviction have complicated Mr. Obama's efforts to break a 30-year diplomatic deadlock between the two countries - particularly at a sensitive time when Tehran has been pursuing its nuclear ambitions.

The U.S. has called the charges against Saberi baseless and said Iran would gain U.S. goodwill if it "responded in a positive way" to the case.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made some effort to reduce tension from the case, but some analysts believe hard-line judicial officials opposed to improving U.S.-Iranian relations could be behind the dispute.

Ahmadinejad sent a letter to Tehran's chief prosecutor Sunday urging him to ensure Saberi be allowed to offer a full defense during her appeal, a sign he does not want the case to derail a move toward dialogue with the U.S.

The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution and the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Relations deteriorated further under former President George W. Bush, who labeled Iran as part of the so-called "Axis of Evil."

A few days before Saberi's sentence was announced, Ahmadinejad gave the clearest signal yet that Iran was ready for a new relationship with the U.S.

Today's decision by the judiciary chief to order an investigation is unusual, signaling a possible struggle between officials who want to defuse tension over Saberi's case and those looking to spark it.

However, many hard-liners in Iran are opposed to stronger ties with Washington.

The hard-line Iranian newspaper Jomhuri criticized Ahmadinejad's letter to the Tehran prosecutor in an editorial Monday, saying government intervention in the judiciary was banned by the constitution. It also said the letter implied the judiciary had not upheld Saberi's rights.

Some analysts have speculated Iran is using Saberi's case as a way to gain leverage over the U.S., possibly to procure the release of five Iranian diplomats detained in northern Iraq in 200.

Qashqavi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, rejected the link between Saberi and the diplomats Monday, saying her case has been "linked to irrelevant issues."

Saberi was born in the U.S. and grew up in Fargo, N.D., where she was crowned Miss North Dakota in 1997. She had been living in Iran for six years and worked as a freelance reporter for news organizations including National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corp.

Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized Iran for arresting journalists and suppressing freedom of speech.

The government has arrested several Iranian-Americans in the past few years, citing alleged attempts to overthrow its Islamic government through what it calls a "soft revolution."

But they were never put on trial and were eventually released from prison.

Her father said Saberi had been working on a book about Iranian culture and hoped to finish it and return to the U.S. this year.

[toldyouso29]

Jesse Jackson...LOL

Now, imagine that meeting...both men struggling to understand their interpreters who are trying to understand what each man is saying-talk about garbled messages...

Wonder if Jackson will do a lot of rhymes, while he is at it. Jackson is a shameless publicity hound.

As for the girl--most blacks probably have no sympathy for her--because 3 sayings in the black community are:

1. "If you go looking for trouble, you will find it' The girl had no business being there

2. 'Don't start no $%#t, won't be none' which means this girl created her own predicament by choice so no sympathy

3. 'You mess with $%#t, it will get all over you" which means that by being stupid and arrogant enough to go to a hostile country in the first place--that girl only got what was coming to her.

If she did not want the possibility of trouble--she had NO BUSINESS in going to live, visit or tour a country avowed to be our enemy. That is common sense.

she deserves NO rescue, and no intervention--but considering his present clout (or lack thereof) perhaps she and her parents DO deserve Jesse Jackson, and maybe Jerry Springer. heh heh heh

[toldyouso29]

"Mr. Obama said. "She is an Iranian American who...."

And that was the primary reason she was held. She was an American of Iranian extraction.
Posted by lloydbest1 at 12:51 PM : Apr 20, 2009


NO. The reason she was held is that she was living in a country that she have had sense enough not even to visit. If a country is listed as our avowed enemy and relations are strained, it is stupid for anyone who defected to think they will be trusted or welcome there.

Had she kept herself statside, I can personally guarantee that she would not now be in an Iranian prison. Not rocket science. She did not belong there--there is no law that says our enemies must accept former Iranian, N. Korian, Rwandan, Sudanese, Russian, or any other citizen back--nor that murderous regimes should treat them like gold.

She brought all of this on herself, they should arrest and try her parents for going there now AND imprison them too.--

sooner or later, Americans will have to catch a clue; "If you go where you are not welcome or wanted--you might get mistreated/harmed". Not rocket science.

[toldyouso29]

Second, part of the reason for her capture and "sham trial" (and I'm sure it was) was for the express purpose of using her as a pawn for some sort of political leverage Iran's ruling elite expect to gain.


Posted by lloydbest1 at 12:51 PM : Apr 20, 2009

Corrupt. oppressive regimes, can't use Americans or anyone else as "pawns" if citizens of other countries keep their butts out of the oppressive regimes. They tend not too get killed in other countries or blown up in other countries if they are not in those countries or have illegally invaded those countries--either.

I feel no pity for this idiot or her family. Iran should arrest her mom and dad while they are there protesting and imprison them too--they had no right being there--american rights do not follow us into countries who do not recognize those rights--both this girl and her parents have a lot of arrogance in going back there in the first place.

I would jail them all, and if they kept on bleating, put them up for treason and kill them. Darwin principle at work--no smart person should enter a repressive regime from a free country and think their citizenship means they are now exempt from oppression.

If they beat her and her family, imprisoned them all or even executed them, maybe the rest of the "I just wanted to visit my former oppressive regime and live among them ex-patriots" would finally catch a clue.

The world is not our oyster, no one owes us safe or free passage when they are our avowed enemy.

[toldyouso29]

"She is an American citizen and I have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any espionage," Mr. Obama said. "She is an Iranian American who is interested in the country which her family came from; it is appropriate that she be treated as such."


What a stupid statement. Iran is not nor has been friendly to the US in that woman's lifetime. As an enemy of the US they have no obligation in any form to honor or play nice with former Iranians who defected to or were born in America and it is stupid to expect them to.

I don't feel sorry for this girl at all. She took her butt to a hostile country and thought she would just hang out there? After all the other people taken, imprisoned and accused? She has a halo or what?

they can do anything to her (including letting her starve herself in prison) she had NO business going back there--and if I were in the Iranian government, when her stupid parents landed to decry her treatment, I'd arrest and imprison them too and charge them with treason--they ALL are stupid for thinking just because they live in America and inder Democracy, that they carry those freedoms and rights with them whereever they go and no matter what they do. THEY DON'T.

If you take your crazy tails to a country run by an oppressive and murderous regime--prepare then, to be oppressed---maybe even murdered. It's not like both girl and parents should not have known better.

the only Iranian Americans who should visit Iran and live there no matter what, are our spies. LOL

[TPS2]

Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized Iran for arresting journalists and suppressing freedom of speech.

Perhaps human rights groups should read the Department of Homeland Security report.

[longtree-2009]

she has dual citizenship that of iran and the USA. difficult to have sympathy for her since she felt strongly about being a citizen of iran. she won't serve 8 years or even months. she will soon be released after her propaganda value drops and iran gets bam-bam (obama) to beg and offer concessions. she knew what she was getting into, knew iran's laws and punishment and she had to know them as a citizen of iran. have no sympathy for her. hey, i'm entitled to a comment/opinion too!

[searingtruth]

Hmmm....

A secret trial.

And a defendant represented only by a government "defense" attorney.

Sounds like America.

May justice prevail, but I doubt it.
ST


"When everything is secret, everything is legal."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[speakinup]

"The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Monday he wants to travel to Iran with a delegation to personally appeal for Saberi's release. - article


Jesse Jackson ! Jesse Jackson !?! What the...

He needs to work on getting black fathers to accept some responsibility, and forget about this issue of the 'spy' in Iran. What, he thinks he is up to date on his Farsi, Sharia law, and Diplomatic skills so much that he can do some good for her ?

Why do I believe it's really all about Jesse ?

[erose001]

Her name is pronounced SAH-BERRY, emphasis on the last syllable. Elizabeth Palmer would have known this if the story had been reported commensurate with its importance, i.e., from the minute she was dragnetted with Israelis in January, all of whom were imprisoned as a punitive measure because of the Israeli hard-liner power structure that destroyed Gaza and killed 1400 civilians. Once again bad foreign policy captures innocents in its web. But of course the corporate media won't report how disgusting the Israel hard-liners are (as opposed to the majority of the Israeli people, whom I support), they won't report on the bad foreign policy that supports them.

Roxana fan in the flood-buried Sheyenne River Valley in eastern ND. (Our flood is worse than Fargo's but you don't hear about that on CBS either. BAH.)

[mrjoshcan]

Native American-Iranian citizen ambitions to stick Roxanne, a rescuer behind the ambivalent brooms beginning life, wisp in the fruition of sandy acres above ones loamed. In bottling as Axis of Evil desiring her credentials that open-handedly is flavor in divine mist bouquet, posy by fragrance twice filling, as soothing oils sometimes bring sorrow. Online spiritual rescue and the willingness to accept thus a novelty as guaranteeing positive thoughts, are communicated gradually day or night. This does undermine less-care and ineffectiveness, which can become as gripping as deprived attention to objects ignored any more than a spiritual pattern that was reckoned with numerically to begin with. To become unproductively negative to a viewer's discriminatory beliefs inside, can be as chilling as running in the park with no shoes on your feet! How can you protect your foothold and keep your identity in tact? Will Washington, DC help Ahmadinejad with joint possession of our virtually established proprietary collection, by providing spatial recognition. As a restorationer of our frontier, is it or isn't it what capitalistic dreams can be made of?