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US journalist Saberi appeals Iran espionage conviction

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

[JURIST] The lawyer for imprisoned US journalist Roxana Saberi on Tuesday appealed her recent conviction for espionage. A spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary reportedly said that he hoped her eight-year sentence would be changed. On Monday, Iran's top judge Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrud urged a fair appellate process. On Sunday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to prosecutor general Saeed Mortazavi, which contained implicit criticism of the judiciary's handling of the Saberi trial. In response to Ahmadinejad's letter, Iranian Information Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejeie stated that Saberi's trial was held in accordance with Iranain law. Saberi was originally arrested in March after buying a bottle of wine, as alcohol consumption is illegal under Iranian law. It was believed that the charges against Saberi would be working without Iranian press credentials, but the Iranian government charged her with espionage, accusing her of passing classified information to US intelligence services. Saberi was tried last week behind closed doors.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 21, 2009 (boomark / email).