TEHRAN: An American journalist jailed in Iran has been convicted of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison just days after she was tried behind closed doors, her lawyer said yesterday, dashing any hopes for her quick release.
Roxana Saberi’s Iranian-born father said his daughter was tricked into making incriminating statements by officials who told her they would free her if she did.
US President Barack Obama is “deeply disappointed” by the sentencing, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. Gibbs, who was speaking in Port of Spain where Obama is attending a Summit of the Americas, declined to answer a question on how the case might affect US relations with Iran, saying only, “What we think is important is that the situation be remedied.”
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the US is working with Swiss diplomats in Iran to get details about the court’s decision and to ensure Saberi’s well-being. She said the US will “vigorously raise our concerns” with the Iranian government.
Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials.
But earlier this month, an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation, charging her with spying for the United States.
She appeared before an Iranian court behind closed doors on Monday in an unusually swift one-day trial. Her lawyer was permitted to attend, but had declined to discuss any details.
The Fargo, North Dakota native had been living in Iran for six years and had worked as a freelance reporter for several news organizations including National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corporation.
“Saberi has been sentenced to eight years in jail. I’ll definitely appeal the verdict,” lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi said.
Reza Saberi told NPR his daughter denied the incriminating statements she made when she realized she had been tricked but “apparently in the case they didn’t consider her denial.”
He said his daughter was convicted Wednesday, but the court waited until yesterday to announce the verdict to the lawyers. Reza Saberi is in Iran but was not allowed into the courtroom to see his daughter, who he described as “quite depressed.”
North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan called on the Iranian government to “show compassion” and release Saberi. “This is a shocking miscarriage of justice,” the Democrat said in a statement.
The United States has called the charges against Saberi baseless and has demanded her release, and the conviction and prison sentence could put strains on efforts to improve ties.
