This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8007822.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Iran orders 'fair' Saberi appeal | Iran orders 'fair' Saberi appeal |
| (41 minutes later) | |
| Iran's judiciary chief has ordered a "quick and fair" appeal for US-Iranian reporter Roxana Saberi, jailed last week for eight years for spying. | Iran's judiciary chief has ordered a "quick and fair" appeal for US-Iranian reporter Roxana Saberi, jailed last week for eight years for spying. |
| Ayatollah Shahrudi said different aspects of the case "should be fairly, accurately and quickly considered". | |
| His order came after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the journalist must have the legal right to defend herself. | His order came after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the journalist must have the legal right to defend herself. |
| US President Barack Obama has expressed concern at the sentencing, handed down after a one-day trial in Tehran. | US President Barack Obama has expressed concern at the sentencing, handed down after a one-day trial in Tehran. |
| Ms Saberi, 31, denies any involvement in espionage, and Mr Obama also said she was not a spy and called for her release. | |
| Confession 'trick' | |
| Asked about Mr Obama's comments, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told a news conference: "It is an international norm that one should respect the rulings issued by the court. | |
| "I recommend that as long as you have not studied the contents of the case one should not just express his views... I'm sure some American officials have also studied law." | |
| Mr Qashqavi went on to say the Iranian authorities respected the defendant's right of appeal. | |
| The journalist originally faced the less serious accusation of buying alcohol, and later of working as a reporter without a valid press card. | |
| Then, in a period of less than two weeks, the charge of spying was introduced, and she was tried and sentenced behind closed doors by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. | Then, in a period of less than two weeks, the charge of spying was introduced, and she was tried and sentenced behind closed doors by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. |
| Few details of the trial or the specifics of the charges have been released. | |
| Ms Saberi's father, Reza, said his daughter was tricked into making a confession - being told by investigators she would be set free if she co-operated. | |
| Ms Saberi, who holds dual US and Iranian citizenship, has spent six years in Iran studying and writing a book. | Ms Saberi, who holds dual US and Iranian citizenship, has spent six years in Iran studying and writing a book. |
| She has been in jail in Tehran since January. |