US - Iranian journalist freed
Roxana Saberi was released from Iranian prison after being convicted from government espionage. The 32-year-old journalist arrived in Austria Friday with plans of discussing her experiences.
Saleh Nikbaht, Saberi’s lawyer, said that her client was convicted because she had a copy of a confidential Iranian report on the U.S. war in Iraq. He said Saberi had copied the report “out of curiosity” while she worked as a freelance translator for a powerful body connected to Iran’s ruling clerics. Prosecutors also cited a trip to Israel that Saberi made in 2006, he said Tuesday. Iran bars its citizens from visiting Israel, its top regional nemesis.
The United States had said the charges against Saberi were baseless and repeatedly demanded her release. The case against her had become an obstacle to President Barack Obama’s attempts at dialogue with the top U.S. adversary in the Middle East.
