Ahmadinejad Advocates Reporter’s Rights
In what may be called an unusual intervention by a leader, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that the Iranian-American journalist jailed for spying on Saturday must have her legal right to guard herself.
According to a state media report, the request was sent from Ahmadinejad’s office to Tehran’s prosecutor a day after Roxana Saberi was jailed for eight years.
Ahmadinejad said that the rights of Saberi and jailed Iranian-Canadian blogger Hossein Derakhshan, who has been in prison since November last year, must not be violated in any way.
“Please take the necessary measures to ensure that the process of examining the charges against the aforementioned individuals is carried out carefully, and fairness, justice and regulations are observed,” he wrote in the letter.
Iranian official government news agency Irna reports the letter as saying, “Please, personally observe the process to ensure that the defendants are allowed all legal rights and freedom in defending themselves and that their rights are not violated even by one iota.”
From the letter, it is not clear if the Iranian president is suggesting due legal process has not been pursued, or if he is generally emphasising the importance of fairness in such sensitive cases.
While, the US has expressed disappointment over the 31-year-old’s sentencing at a secret one-day trial in Tehran, says US President’s spokesman on Saturday.
The verdict came despite calls by the Obama administration for Ms Saberi’s release and diplomatic overtures to Iran after three decades of severed ties.
