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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Reporter Saberi leaves Iran jail | Reporter Saberi leaves Iran jail |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The US-Iranian journalist jailed in Iran, Roxana Saberi, has been freed from prison after having her sentence for spying reduced. | The US-Iranian journalist jailed in Iran, Roxana Saberi, has been freed from prison after having her sentence for spying reduced. |
| Lawyers for the 31 year old, whose imprisoning sparked a global outcry, said she left Tehran's Evin jail hours after her eight-year term was cut. | |
| She will be able to leave the country but has been banned from working as a journalist in Iran for five years. | She will be able to leave the country but has been banned from working as a journalist in Iran for five years. |
| Ms Saberi was convicted of spying for the US in April but denied the charge. | |
| The BBC's Tehran correspondent says the charge against her was reduced on appeal to one carrying a lesser sentence. | |
| The case sparked international attention and protests calling for Roxana Saberi to be released. | |
| US President Barack Obama, who has taken a more conciliatory approach to Iran than his predecessor, was among those who appealed on her behalf. | US President Barack Obama, who has taken a more conciliatory approach to Iran than his predecessor, was among those who appealed on her behalf. |
| There was also concern from within Iran: her partner, film director Bahman Ghobadi - whose work has won prizes in Cannes and Berlin - said Ms Saberi was a victim of Iran's "political games". | |
| Her lawyer, Abdolsama Khorramshahi, told reporters in Tehran that Ms Saberi's father, Reza Saberi, confirmed the news of her release. | Her lawyer, Abdolsama Khorramshahi, told reporters in Tehran that Ms Saberi's father, Reza Saberi, confirmed the news of her release. |
| ROXANA SABERI'S DETENTION January 2009: Arrested for buying a bottle of wine. Later charged with working illegally as a journalist8 April: Accused of spying 18 April: Sentenced to eight years in jail20 April: Goes on hunger strike for two weeks10 May: Appeal heard class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/8000522.stm">Profile: Roxana Saberi | |
| The BBC's Jon Leyne, outside Evin prison, says no-one has seen Ms Saberi leave the jail. However, she is thought to be heading with her father and her mother, Akiko, to an undisclosed location in Tehran. | |
| The AFP news agency quoted her as saying: "I'm OK. I don't want to make any comments but I am OK." | |
| She recently ended a two-week hunger strike and was said to have looked thin and tired during her court appearance on Sunday. | She recently ended a two-week hunger strike and was said to have looked thin and tired during her court appearance on Sunday. |
| 'Fair and open' | 'Fair and open' |
| That appeal hearing lasted five hours - far longer than the original hour-long trial. | That appeal hearing lasted five hours - far longer than the original hour-long trial. |
| Reza Saberi: "So practically, she is free as of now" | |
| Before it began Ms Saberi was allowed a half-hour meeting with Mr Khorramshahi. | Before it began Ms Saberi was allowed a half-hour meeting with Mr Khorramshahi. |
| Some accounts of the hearing said Ms Saberi - looking a little bewildered - had visibly lost weight from the two-week hunger strike. | Some accounts of the hearing said Ms Saberi - looking a little bewildered - had visibly lost weight from the two-week hunger strike. |
| Details of the evidence against her have still not been made public, and it is not clear why the appeal hearing was brought forward. | Details of the evidence against her have still not been made public, and it is not clear why the appeal hearing was brought forward. |
| Unlike her original trial, the legal process this time was arranged to appear fair and open, our correspondent in Tehran says. | Unlike her original trial, the legal process this time was arranged to appear fair and open, our correspondent in Tehran says. |
| As well as a reduced jail sentence, the charge against Ms Saberi was changed from one of passing secret information to a lesser count of having access to classified information, he adds. | As well as a reduced jail sentence, the charge against Ms Saberi was changed from one of passing secret information to a lesser count of having access to classified information, he adds. |
| Closed trial | |
| Ms Saberi was held in Tehran's Evin prison since her arrest in January. | |
| The journalist originally faced a less serious accusation of buying alcohol, and later of working as a reporter without a valid press card. | |
| The spying charge was introduced soon afterwards, and she was tried and sentenced behind closed doors by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. | |
| Ms Saberi, who holds dual US and Iranian citizenship, has spent six years in Iran studying and writing a book. | |
| She has worked as a freelance journalist for news organisations including the BBC and the US-based National Public Radio. |