Thirty-five members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) join CPJ and Reporters Without Borders in a letter to the head of Iran’s judiciary calling for the release of imprisoned journalist Roxana Saberi, currently held in Iran’s Evin Prison.
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi Shahroodi
Justice Ministry Bldg.
Pazdah-Khordad (Ark) Sq.
Tehran, Iran
Fax: 98 21 222 90 151
Your Excellency:
As journalists and members of the global press freedom community we are writing to express our concern about the April 17 sentencing of Roxana Saberi to eight years in prison on charges of espionage, after a closed, one-day trial.
Saberi is a respected journalist who has lived in Iran for six years. She filed reports for NPR, the BBC, and other international news outlets before her press credentials were revoked in 2006.
We call for Saberi to be released. Her judicial guarantees have to be respected, according to international standards.
Trusting that you will fairly consider our collective request.
Sincerely,
ARTICLE 19, U.K.
Algerian Centre for the Defence and Promotion of Press Freedom (CALP), Algeria
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Egypt
Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo (ABRAJI), Brazil
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Serbia
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR)
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), Canada
Cartoonists Rights Network, International (CRNI), U.S.A.
Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP), Liberia
Centro de Periodismo y Etica Publica (CEPET), Mexico
Committee to Protect Journalists, U.S.A.
Independent Journalism Center (IJC), Moldova
Index on Censorship, U.K.
Institute of Mass Information (IMI), Ukraine
Institute for Reporter Freedom and Safety (IRFS), Azerbaijan
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS), Peru
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Belgium
International PEN Writers in Prison Committee, U.K
International Press Institute (IPI), Austria
Freedom House, U.S.A.
Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka
Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP), Colombia
Maharat Foundation, Lebanon
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Namibia
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Ghana
Media Watch, Bangladesh
Mizzima News Agency, India/Burma
Norwegian PEN, Norway
Observatoire pour la liberté de presse, d’édition et de creation (OLPEC), Tunisia
Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), Pakistan
Reporters sans frontières (RSF), France
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), Thailand
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), Canada
World Association of Newspapers (WAN), France
World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC), U.S.A.