TEHRAN (Reuters) - An Iranian-American journalist accused in Iran of spying for the United States has been jailed for eight years, her lawyer said on Saturday, five days after she was put on trial. An Iranian judiciary official, quoted by the ISNA news agency, confirmed the sentencing of Roxana Saberi, a U.S.-born freelance reporter who has worked for the BBC and National Public Radio (NPR).U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said
she was very disappointed by the sentencing and would raise the case with Tehran. Saberi's jailing could become a source of U.S.-Iranian tension at a time when Washington is trying to reach out to the Islamic Republic following three decades of mutual mistrust.The judiciary earlier this week said Saberi went on trial on Monday at a Revolutionary Court, which handles security cases. "She has been sentenced to eight years ... I will appeal," lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi told Reuters.
ISNA quoted the unnamed judiciary official as saying: "Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced Roxana Saberi to eight years for espionage. She can appeal the sentence."
Her father, Reza Saberi, told the NPR that his daughter had been coerced into statements that she later retracted. "She was deceived," he said. "She is quite depressed about this matter and she wants to go on a hunger strike. And if she does, she is so frail it can be very dangerous to her health."
The United States has called the charges against Saberi "baseless" and demanded her immediate release. "I am deeply disappointed by the reported sentencing of Roxana Saberi by the Iranian judiciary," said Clinton in a statement released by the State Department in Washington."We will continue to vigorously raise our concerns to the Iranian government," added Clinton. She said she was working closely with Swiss interlocutors who handle U.S. interests in Iran to get details about Saberi's court decision and to ensure her "well being".
NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller said in a statement: "We are deeply distressed by this harsh and unwarranted sentence."
Saberi, 31, who is a citizen of both the United States and Iran, was arrested in January for working in Iran after her press credentials had expired. Saberi grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and holds Masters Degrees in Journalism and International Relations. She was chosen Miss North Dakota in 1997, the website says.Courtesy: Reuters
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