Iran’s Nobel Laureate Dr Shirin Ebadi will defend Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi during her appeal of an espionage conviction in Iran.
Saberi was initially arrested in February, purportedly for working without press credentials. In March, she was charged with espionage and being an American spy. She was sentenced to 8 years in prison after a one day, closed-door trial.
No evidence against Saberi has been released by the Iranian government. The United States has called the charges against her “baseless” and reports indicate that she may have been forced to make incriminating statements while imprisoned. According to the New York Times, an Iranian judiciary official has said the verdict will be reconsidered.
Ebadi reportedly told a German newspaper “The trial against Saberi was unfair and was not in line with [Iran’s] constitution… On the family’s request, I have now taken over the case and will protest against the judgement,” according to Sky News.
