Roxana Update: Letter From Her Friend
As the Iranian authorities review the spy conviction of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, we hope they have the grace to consider the letter that her friend, the distinguished Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, has written to her.
The heartbreaking letter has been released and disseminated by various organizations supporting Saberi and various news organizations have reported on it. Here's the text that came into my email in-box, which gives a chilling inside glimpse into her case:
"To Roxana Saberi, Iranian with an American passport"
If I kept quiet until now, it was for her sake. If today I speak, it is for her sake.
She is my friend, my fiancée, and my companion. An intelligent and talented young woman, whom I have always admired.
It was the 31st of January. The day of my birthday. That morning, she called to say she would pick me up so we would go out together. She never came. I called on her mobile, but it was off, and for two-three days I had no idea what had happened to her. I went to her apartment, and since we had each other's keys, I went in, but she wasn't there. Two days later, she called and said: "Forgive me my dear, I had to go to Zahedan." I got angry: why hadn't she said anything to me? I told her I didn't believe her, and again she said: "Forgive me my dear, I had to go." And the line was cut. I waited for her to call back. But she didn't call back. She didn't call back.
I left for Zahedan. I looked for her in every hotel, but nobody had ever heard her name. For ten days, thousands of wild thoughts came to my mind. Until I learned, through her father, she had been arrested. I thought it was a joke.
I thought it was a misunderstanding and that she would be released after two or three days. But days went by and I had no news from her. I started to worry and knocked on every door for help, until I understood what had happened.
It is with tears in my eyes that I say she is innocent and guiltless. It is me, who has known her for years, and shared every moment with her, who declares it. She was always busy reading and doing her research. Nothing else. During all these years I've known her, she wouldn't go anywhere without letting me know, nor would do anything without asking my advice. To her friends, her family, everyone that surrounded her, she had given no signs of unreasonable behavior. How come someone who would spend days without going out of her apartment, except to see me; someone who, like a Japanese lady, would carefully spend her money, and had sometimes trouble making a living; someone who was looking for a sponsor to get in contact with a local publisher so her book would be printed here (in Iran); could now be charged with a spying accusation?! We all know – no, we have all seen in movies – that spies are malicious and sneaky, that they peep around for information, and that they are very well paid.
And now my heart is full of sorrow. Because it is me who incited her to stay here. And now I can't do anything for her. Roxana wanted to leave Iran. I kept her from it.
At the beginning of our relationship, she wanted to go back to the United States. She would have liked us to go together. But I insisted for her to stay until my new film was over. She really wanted to leave Iran. And I kept her from it. And now I am devastated, for it is because of me she has been subject to these events. These past years, I have been subject to a serious depression. Why? Because my movie had been banned, and released on the black market. My next movie was not given an authorization, and I was forced to stay at home. If I've been able to stand it until today, it is thanks to the presence and help that she provided me with.
Since I had no authorization for my last movie, I was nervous and ill-tempered. And she was always there to calm me down.
Roxana wanted to leave Iran. I kept her from it. She is the one who took care of me while I was depressed. Then I convinced her to stay, I wanted her to write the book she had started in her head. I accompanied her, and thanks to my friends and contacts, I knocked on every door and was able to set up meetings with film makers, artists, sociologists, politics, and others. I would go with her myself.
She was absorbed by her book, to the point that she could stay and bear it all, until my film would be finished, and we would leave together.
Roxana's book was a praise to Iran. The manuscripts exist, and it will certainly be published one day, and all will see it. But why have they said nothing? All those who have talked, worked and sat with her, and who know how guiltless she is.
I am writing this letter for I am worried about her. I am worried about her health. I heard she was depressed and cried all the time. She is very sensitive. To the point she refuses to touch her food.
My letter is a desperate call to all statesmen and politics, and to all those who can do something to help. From the other side of the ocean, the Americans have protested against her imprisonment, because she is an American citizen. But I say no, she is Iranian, and she loves Iran. I beg you, let her go! I beg you not to throw her in the midst of you political games! She is too weak and too pure to take part in your games. Let me be present at her trial, sit next to her wise father and gentle mother, and testify she is without guilt or reproach.
However, I am optimistic about her release, and I firmly hope the verdict will be cancelled in the next stage of the trial.
My Iranian girl with Japanese eyes and an American ID, is in jail. Shame on me! Shame on us!
Bahman Ghobadi
--By Scott MacLeod/Cairo
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1
From the NY Times:
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When Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old Iranian-American journalist, was arrested in Tehran in January, her parents were told it was because she tried to buy alcohol. Details about her detention in the notorious Evin prison near Tehran were sketchy. But her case was speeded up this month when she was charged with spying, then convicted and sentenced in a short trial.
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We asked others who have been jailed in Iran or who have worked with journalists who have been detained there to comment.
.Roozbeh Mirebrahimi, Iranian journalist
Ali Shakeri, a peace activist
Jeffrey Gedmin, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Joel Simon, Committee to Protect Journalists
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Here's the link to the NYT page that provides the comments from the above contributors:
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http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/behind-bars-in-iran/ -
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All I can say is that this is by far the most wreckless taunt to eminate from Teheran in quite some time. And it is really sad. These wreckless actions only endanger the extraordinary nation that is ancient Persia, the Persia of Darius, Pahlavi Iran and sadly the present Islamic Republic.
President Obama, true to his word, extended the long awaited olive branch the world yearned for to Mr. Khamenei directly. He also aimed his message at the Persian nation as a whole therefore they are witnesses of the actions being taken by the government that presently controls the fate of their nation.
All nations have the solemn duty to abide by the law of our creator. Is peace really that difficult to grasp? Does the nation of Iran not desire peace with it's neighbors and it's proper place among the nations as being offered to them this very moment?
The respect has always been mutual between America and Iran, a relationship forged in mutual respect and almost exact common interests.
America met a ruined Persia at the height of American Imperialism. Persia's leaders after Darius figured out a way to squander or mismanage or simply neglect the vastly nourished nation state that has always been Persia. Iran aligned itself with Nazi Germany at the onset of Germany's aggression, it's important to have powerful friends.
Enter Reza Shah a young and inexperienced Leader but undyingly loyal to the Nation of Iran. He was proud to be a Persian, fully aware of the imperial pedigree within the Persian heart and dreams. He strived to "westernize" his nation meaning capitalism, industrialism, freedom of the press, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion.
The present situation has the world on high alert. Iran has precious time coming off the clock.
Soccer is the global sport.
Iran vs. Israel.
One kick left and it's Israel's.Care to take your chances? They will obliterate you.
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Haven't we seen this play in the propaganda book already? Every POSSIBLE anti-Iranian molehill is made into a mountain. Concerned US citizens should take a stance against this kind of war mongering. Give diplomacy between Iran and the US a fair chance.
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Roxana Saberi was a citizen and domiciled in a country that has harsh laws. She knew this and broke numerous over a 6 year period. She is now facing the music. By putting weight on her arrest, we collectively played into the Mullahs' hands. The Obama administration naively turned her into a bargaining chip vis a vis Hillary Clinton's plea to free Roxana Saberi. Such a statement from our Secretary of State allowed the Mullahs to capitalize yet again and they will likely use her now to negotiate for Iranian political prisoners detained by the US. Evin Prison is nothing like spending a beautiful day in Iran's mystical Alborz mountains, but at least as a bargaining chip the Iranians will likely treat her with kid gloves.
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Knero,
Many Iranians, including both my parents, will be Shah-supporters until they die. But, you can't wholly ignore the fact that the Shah effectively took the Iranian people's interests and subjugated them to the economic interests of foreign countries. Combined with the violent punishment taught to Shah's secret police by Mossad for dissenters, the Shah had to go. The revolters wanted change, but not the type of rule that exists today. After a bloody revolution and an even bloodier defensive war directly after against a US-backed Saddam Hussein, Iranians simply want reform now and not bloodshed of any kind. As to your last statement, I urge Israel to grow a set and attack already
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4
Propaganda book Nick?
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And you call yourself a defender of justice?
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Wow. You may stand before the bar Nick, but your reaction to Ms. Saberi's plight puts you in line with Dick Cheney as an advocate.
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Let's make sure this is made clear. You're arguing that Ms. Saberi deserves her fate because she purchased a bottle of wine in a country of 'harsh laws'.
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Even under the widest stretch of the imagination, such an act hardly constitues espionage.
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Even the idea that Ms. Saberi is no more than a pawn in a larger diplomatic game by the Iranian government doesn't mean that she deserves such treatment. What's worse, is that you condone this action, and opt for 'diplomacy' in the face of such egregious incarceration.
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As for her 'treatment' you continue to vacilate over the environment in Evrin prison. Perhaps you should re-read the NY Times article that describes the treatment of prisoners since you seem to have discarded your previous concern over what passes for standard operating procedures there.
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Just for the record too Nick, it should be noted that Ms. Saberi is now on her seventh day of a hunger strike. -
5
Jacob,
Again you insult my profession as if it were your business. For the last time: grow up and butt out. Do you have any substantive arguments to make against what I have to say or will you just resort to your weak attempts at impeaching me again? You're ignorant for thinking you can resort to callous insult as a way of swaying readers in your favor (as you can see, not many are).
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Roxana Saberi also did not have the proper press credentials. Many Iranians have served longer and harsher prison terms because of crimes in the vein of Roxana Saberi.
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If you are worried about journalists, Jacob, feel free to read this article from the Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs regarding Israel being in the lead for its brutal treatment of reporters in stifling the truth: http://www.washington-report.org/archives/November_2008/0811019.html . -
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No Nick, you're the only insult to the profession of law. I'm just highlighting it.
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While you eagerly hunt through pro-Arab advocacy sites, Ms. Saberi is now headed to the prison's medical wing.
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May 4, 2009
U.S. Reporter Is Hospitalized in Iran
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 8:49 a.m. ETCAIRO (AP) -- The American journalist on a hunger strike for two weeks to protest her imprisonment in Iran was briefly hospitalized after she intensified her fast by refusing to drink water, Reporters Without Borders said Monday.
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The press freedom group said 32-year-old Roxana Saberi, accused by Iran of spying for the U.S., was taken Friday to a clinic at Tehran's Evin prison, where she has been held since her arrest in January. She was released from the clinic within a day after again drinking water, the group said.
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Saberi's Iranian-born father, who traveled to Iran to seek his daughter's release, said last month that she was drinking only sweetened water while refusing food to protest her eight-year jail sentence.
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Reporters Without Borders said her father, Reza Saberi, told the group over the weekend that she stopped drinking water after Iranian authorities denied she was on a hunger strike.
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''So following that, she decided to do a complete hunger strike,'' Soazig Dollet of the Paris-based group told The Associated Press. ''So she was really weak and went to the clinic inside the prison for the day, but not more than a day.''
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Saberi's father did not answer phone calls seeking comment on Monday.
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The Obama administration has called the espionage allegations against Saberi baseless and demanded her immediate release. Iranian authorities have promised a fair review of her appeal.
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Saberi, a dual Iranian-American citizen, has lived in Iran for the last six years. She was born in the U.S. and grew up in Fargo, North Dakota.
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She was initially accused of working without press credentials, but authorities later made the more serious charge that she passed intelligence to the U.S. She was convicted on the espionage charge after a one-day trial behind closed doors.
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The case has been a source of tension between the U.S. and Iran at a time when the Obama administration is reaching out to Tehran after decades of diplomatic stalemate.
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Saberi was working as a freelance reporter for organizations including National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corp. before her arrest.
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In Tehran on Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman called for an end to what he called outside interference in the case from groups like Reporters Without Borders.
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Four of the journalist group's members, including its secretary-general, began their own hunger strikes a week ago in support of Saberi, while urging her to end her own protest out of concern for her health.
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Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi said the group's protest was not welcome.
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''Iran's judiciary is an independent body and any foreign attempt to intervene in it goes against international measures,'' he told reporters in his weekly briefing.
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''This is not a complicated issue. This Iranian woman has been sentenced and should wait and see what verdict the appeals court will issue,'' he said.
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7
What's worse Nick, is you continue to try to justify the behaviour of the Iranian government.
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You claim that "Roxana Saberi also did not have the proper press credentials. Many Iranians have served longer and harsher prison terms because of crimes in the vein of Roxana Saberi."
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Again, since when is not having the proper 'press credentials' the equivelent of espionage?!?
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Of course, we can see the due dillegence used by Iran's courts: "She was convicted on the espionage charge after a one-day trial behind closed doors."
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Wow, a kangaroo court, and you're still trying to downplay the reality that this is a miscarraige of justice.
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Apparently Ms. Saberi has stronger believers than you..."In Tehran on Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman called for an end to what he called outside interference in the case from groups like Reporters Without Borders.
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Four of the journalist group's members, including its secretary-general, began their own hunger strikes a week ago in support of Saberi, while urging her to end her own protest out of concern for her health." -
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An interview from der Spiegal with Ms. Saberi's father:
05/04/2009 04:51 PM'DEAD OR ALIVE'
Detained Journalist's Father Discusses Iranian Case
Resa Saberi, 68, talks to SPIEGEL about the hunger strike by his daughter Roxana, 32, an American-Iranian journalist who was recently sentenced to eight years in prison in Tehran for alleged espionage.
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SPIEGEL: Mr. Saberi, when did you last see your daughter?
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Saberi: On Tuesday, Roxana's lawyer had an appointment with her and I accompanied him. I was allowed to sit next to Roxana for about a half an hour and I held her hand. Psychologically, she is strong and feisty. She knows that she's innocent and that gives her strength. Physically, though, she has been weakened by her hunger strike.
.SPIEGEL: Legal officials in Tehran dispute the fact that your daughter is actually refusing to eat.
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Saberi: My daughter is a very determined woman. She said that she wants out of the prison -- "dead or alive". As her parents, we take that very seriously and we are very concerned. My wife and I have attempted to talk Roxana out of this action. But as far as I know, she has only been drinking water with a little bit of sugar for the past 10 days.
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SPIEGEL: How often are you in contact?
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Saberi: The regular visiting day for us parents is Monday. On Saturday, she is permitted to call us -- either on my mobile telephone or on her own normal landline telephone because we've been living in her Tehran apartment since our arrival from the US. We were also allowed to visit her on Sunday, April 26. That was her birthday. My wife and I brought her flowers …
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SPIEGEL: … and you hoped that you could celebrate Roxana's next birthday without and problems in the US?
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Saberi: At the very least, we hope that the appeal process will happen within a few weeks and that her sentence will be reduced. Perhaps there will even be an acquittal. The fact that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called on the state public prosecutor to review the case again could help Roxana. We are also considering appealing to Revolutionary Leader Ali Khamenei for clemency.
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SPIEGEL: Do you see your daughter as the victim of a political power struggle in Tehran or also of the conflict between Iran and the US?
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Saberi: It could be that Roxana was doomed by the fact that she has dual citizenship as an Iranian and an American. That's why she herself wanted to find a further lawyer who had experience with political cases. That's why we went to Shirin Ebadi.
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SPIEGEL: The most prominent lawyer in Iran and also a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
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Saberi: But there were personal differences between the state prosecutor and the lawyer from her law firm. Ms. Ebadi herself is currently abroad. That is why we stopped working together. We are now searching for another lawyer more familiar with political trials.
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SPIEGEL: Are you also looking at the different allegations against your daughter?
.Saberi: The illegal purchase of alcohol, over which much has been reported, is not a subject of the proceedings. During her first call to me, Roxana said she had been arrested for buying a bottle of wine. She had been ordered to tell me that this was the reason for her arrest on January 31.
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It also isn't true that Roxana reported as a journalist without accreditation from Ershad, the authority for culture and Islamic leadership. All she did was translate and summarize articles from the Iranian press. She then sent these reports to America. In regards to the official charge of espionage, our lawyer has not found any truly persuasive evidence.
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SPIEGEL: Have you already discussed with your daughter what you will do after there is a decision in the appeal?
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Saberi: We are hoping she will be released, possibly before the presidential election on June 12. If this were to happen, our daughter will leave Iran as fast as possible -- probably forever.
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Interview conducted by Dieter Bednarz. -
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Roxani Saberi's cause is hurt by having people like Tammy Bruce and Michelle Malkin advocating for her. Just saying.
I pray for Roxana. Let's also pray for the 19 journalists killed this year so far. http://www.rsf.org/tues_en.php3?id_rubrique=113&annee=2009
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