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Iran top judge urges fair appeals process for jailed US journalist

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Iran's judiciary on Monday ordered fair appellate proceedings for a US journalist convicted this week of espionage and sentenced to eight years in prison. Iran's top judge Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi said the appeal by journalist Roxana Saberi, a dual US-Iran citizen who was originally arrested for illegally purchasing alcohol, should be fair and accurate. Shahrudi's declaration came after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad implicitly criticized the judiciary's handling of Saberi's case. On Sunday, Ahmadinejad told Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi to manage the appeal in a way that allows Saberi to defend herself freely. Saberi's lawyer said he would file an appeal by week's end. Last year, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that Iran ranked sixth in the world for total number of imprisoned journalists. In the past two years, Iran has arrested several journalists and scholars on espionage charges. In 2007, Iran accused four Iranian-Americans of belonging to a US-organized spy network. Iran formally charged Iranian-American scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari for allegedly plotting "against the sovereignty of the country." Iran also charged Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh and Radio Farda correspondent Parnaz Azima with allegedly engaging in an espionage conspiracy. An Iranian judge said that Esfandiari and Tajbakhsh admitted to carrying out some "activities", although it was unclear if their statements were tantamount to an admission of spying.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 20, 2009 (boomark / email).