Iran leader urges rights for US reporter

April 20, 2009|Associated Press

TEHRAN - Iran's president said yesterday that an American journalist convicted of spying for the United States should be allowed to offer a full defense during her appeal, a day after she was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The message was a sign that Iran's leadership does not want the case to derail moves toward a dialogue with the Obama administration to break a 30-year diplomatic deadlock.

Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to Tehran's chief prosecutor instructing him to personally ensure that "suspects be given all their rights to defend themselves" against the charges. "Prepare for the court proceedings . . . to observe and apply justice precisely," the state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.

The letter came a day after Iran announced the conviction and sentence for Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen who was born and grew up in the United States. It was the first time Iran has found an American journalist guilty of espionage, and her lawyer said he'll appeal.

President Obama said yesterday he was "gravely concerned" about Saberi's safety and well-being and was confident she wasn't involved in espionage. The United States has called the charges baseless and said Iran would gain US good will if it "responded in a positive way" to the case.

Ahmadinejad's letter also referred to Canadian-Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan, who has been in an Iranian prison since November on charges of insulting religious figures.