<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>April 19, 2009
Journalist accused of spying
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Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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TEHERAN (Iran) - IRAN convicted an American journalist of spying for the United States and sentenced her to eight years in prison, her lawyer said on Saturday, complicating the Obama administration's efforts to break a 30-year-old diplomatic deadlock with Teheran.
The White House said President Barack Obama was 'deeply disappointed' by the conviction, while the journalist's father told a radio station his daughter was tricked into making incriminating statements by officials who told her they would free her if she did.
It was the first time Iran has found an American journalist guilty of espionage - a crime that can carry the death penalty.
Roxana 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 levelled a far more serious allegation, charging her with spying for the United States.
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 Corp.
The journalist's Iranian-born father, Reza Saberi, told NPR that his daughter was convicted Wednesday, two days after she appeared before an Iranian court in an unusually swift one-day closed-door trial. The court waited until Saturday to announce its decision to the lawyers, he said.
Ms Saberi's father is in Iran but was not allowed into the courtroom to see his daughter, who he described as 'quite depressed'. He said she denied the incriminating statements she made when she realized she had been tricked but 'apparently in the case they didn't consider her denial'. Ms Saberi's lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, told The Associated Press he would 'definitely appeal the verdict.'
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States was working with Swiss diplomats in Iran to get details about the court's decision and to ensure Ms Saberi's well-being. She said in a statement the United States will 'vigorously raise our concerns' with the Iranian government.
The United States has called the charges against Ms Saberi baseless, and the State Department said on Thursday that Iran would gain US good will if it 'responded in a positive way' to the case. President Obama has said he wants to engage Iran in talks on its nuclear program and other issues - a departure from the tough talk of the Bush administration. Ms Saberi's father has said his daughter, who was Miss North Dakota in 1997, had been working on a book about the culture and people of Iran, and hoped to finish it and return to the United States this year. -- AP
Journalist accused of spying
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>US upset by Iran's charges <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->
TEHERAN (Iran) - IRAN convicted an American journalist of spying for the United States and sentenced her to eight years in prison, her lawyer said on Saturday, complicating the Obama administration's efforts to break a 30-year-old diplomatic deadlock with Teheran.
The White House said President Barack Obama was 'deeply disappointed' by the conviction, while the journalist's father told a radio station his daughter was tricked into making incriminating statements by officials who told her they would free her if she did.
It was the first time Iran has found an American journalist guilty of espionage - a crime that can carry the death penalty.
Roxana 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 levelled a far more serious allegation, charging her with spying for the United States.
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 Corp.
The journalist's Iranian-born father, Reza Saberi, told NPR that his daughter was convicted Wednesday, two days after she appeared before an Iranian court in an unusually swift one-day closed-door trial. The court waited until Saturday to announce its decision to the lawyers, he said.
Ms Saberi's father is in Iran but was not allowed into the courtroom to see his daughter, who he described as 'quite depressed'. He said she denied the incriminating statements she made when she realized she had been tricked but 'apparently in the case they didn't consider her denial'. Ms Saberi's lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, told The Associated Press he would 'definitely appeal the verdict.'
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States was working with Swiss diplomats in Iran to get details about the court's decision and to ensure Ms Saberi's well-being. She said in a statement the United States will 'vigorously raise our concerns' with the Iranian government.
The United States has called the charges against Ms Saberi baseless, and the State Department said on Thursday that Iran would gain US good will if it 'responded in a positive way' to the case. President Obama has said he wants to engage Iran in talks on its nuclear program and other issues - a departure from the tough talk of the Bush administration. Ms Saberi's father has said his daughter, who was Miss North Dakota in 1997, had been working on a book about the culture and people of Iran, and hoped to finish it and return to the United States this year. -- AP
