Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Restaurants get off to a quick start thanks to game-changing policies
High service charges on event ticket refunds call for further regulation
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
US journalist's lawyer hopeful after an appeal
Source: Agencies |
May 11, 2009, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AN Iranian court heard the appeal of United States-born journalist Roxana Saberi against her eight-year jail sentence for espionage yesterday and her lawyer said he was optimistic it would be fundamentally changed.
Lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi said the appeals court had ended a one-day session and would issue its verdict in the coming days. Saberi was convicted by a lower court on April 18 of spying for the US.
He said he had asked for his 32-year-old client, who looked thin and tired when she entered the court room, to be released on bail but the court had yet to decide on the request.
The case could complicate Washington's efforts toward reconciliation with Iran after three decades of mutual mistrust.
"The court session was held under good conditions and me and my colleague ... were given adequate time to defend our client," Khorramshahi said.
Saberi had also been given "sufficient opportunity" to defend herself.
"I'm hopeful and optimistic that there will be fundamental changes in the sentence," he said. The lawyer earlier said he expected it to be "substantially" reduced.
Saberi's father Reza was not allowed in to follow the proceedings.
Last week, he said she had ended a two-week hunger strike in Tehran's Evin jail and was "very weak."
The judiciary denied she had refused food and said she was in good health.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said Saberi's case would be reviewed based on "human and Islamic kindness."
Saberi, a citizen of both the US and Iran, was arrested in late January for working in the Islamic Republic after her press credentials had expired.
She was later charged with espionage, a charge that can carry the death sentence.
The US says the espionage charges against Saberi, a former Miss Dakota who moved to Iran six years ago, were baseless and has demanded her immediate release.
Lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi said the appeals court had ended a one-day session and would issue its verdict in the coming days. Saberi was convicted by a lower court on April 18 of spying for the US.
He said he had asked for his 32-year-old client, who looked thin and tired when she entered the court room, to be released on bail but the court had yet to decide on the request.
The case could complicate Washington's efforts toward reconciliation with Iran after three decades of mutual mistrust.
"The court session was held under good conditions and me and my colleague ... were given adequate time to defend our client," Khorramshahi said.
Saberi had also been given "sufficient opportunity" to defend herself.
"I'm hopeful and optimistic that there will be fundamental changes in the sentence," he said. The lawyer earlier said he expected it to be "substantially" reduced.
Saberi's father Reza was not allowed in to follow the proceedings.
Last week, he said she had ended a two-week hunger strike in Tehran's Evin jail and was "very weak."
The judiciary denied she had refused food and said she was in good health.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said Saberi's case would be reviewed based on "human and Islamic kindness."
Saberi, a citizen of both the US and Iran, was arrested in late January for working in the Islamic Republic after her press credentials had expired.
She was later charged with espionage, a charge that can carry the death sentence.
The US says the espionage charges against Saberi, a former Miss Dakota who moved to Iran six years ago, were baseless and has demanded her immediate release.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
