www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5831812.ece
CLASSIFIEDS From Times Online March 2, 2009 Missing US journalist Roxana Saberi 'arrested' in Iran US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent Iran said today that an Iranian-American journalist whose family have not heard from for three weeks was arrested for engaging in "illegal" activities because she continued to work after the Government revoked her press credentials. Roxana Saberi, 31, who has reported from Tehran for the BBC and other news organisations, called her father in the United States on February 10, saying that she had been arrested for buying a bottle of wine. "She called from an unknown place and said she's been kept in detention," Mr Saberi said from Fargo, North Dakota, where her family lives. "She said that she had bought a bottle of wine and the person that sold it had reported it and then they came and arrested her," he said, adding that the wine purchase was just an excuse to arrest her.
Iran admits that journalist was beaten to death Ms Saberi said that she had already been held for ten days, and called back moments later to say that she would be released in two more days. Neither her family in the US nor her friends in Tehran have heard from her since. Mr Saberi said that he was going public with the information because of fears for his daughter's safety. Iran's Foreign Ministry, which confirmed Ms Saberi's arrest, did not say why her press credentials had been revoked in 2006, or whether she was still being held. "Her accreditation was over in 2006 after Iranian authorities revoked her press card," Hasan Qashqavi, a spokesman said. "Her activities since 2006 were completely illegal and unauthorised." National Public Radio, the US radio station for which Ms Saberi reported, confirmed that Iran had revoked her press credentials but said that they had tolerated her continuing to file short "on the spot" news stories. Her Iranian-born father, Reza Saberi, said that she had remained in Iran to complete her master's degree in Iranian studies and International Relations and was finishing a book on Iranian culture and people. Ms Saberi, who holds an Iranian passport in addition to her American one, has lived in the Islamic republic for the past six years. The arrest comes at a time of increasing pressure before presidential elections in June, during which at least two pro-reform candidates will be running against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Government forces cracked down on hundreds of protesting students at Amirkabir University last week and arrested nearly 70, About 40 detainees were released, but the rest were transferred to the Evin prison Ms Saberi is the latest of several Iranian-Americans and other dual nationals holding Iranian passports to be arrested in the past few years, some on charges of attempting to overthrow the regime. The most high-profile case came in 2007 when Iran arrested four Iranian-Americans, including the academic Haleh Esfandiari. The four were imprisoned or had their passports confiscated for several months until they were released and allowed to return to the US. In 2003 Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian photographer, died in custody in Tehran of severe head injuries after she was arrested photographing the family of detainees outside the notorious Evin prison. The Iranian authorities confirmed that she had died from blows to the head but no one has ever been charged in connection with her death. The US has had no diplomatic relations with Tehran since the siege of its embassy there after the Islamic Revolution but there have been hopes of new contacts since the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
in USA you can spend twenty five years in jail for buying a marijuana joint. there are millions of people are serving time as we speak and it is somehow not a news... Sergey, NYC, USA She won't be the first Iranian-American who discovered the hard way the true nature of the Iranian regime. Mark, Seattle, USA Have your say Please note the maximum number of characters is 300.
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