Jailed US journalist Roxana Saberi 'had secret document on war in Iraq'
times online / Catherine Philp
13-May-2009 (15 comments)

The American journalist Roxana Saberi was jailed for espionage in Tehran after obtaining a confidential Iranian document about the American invasion of Iraq, it was claimed today. Saleh Nikbakht, one of Ms Saberi's Iranian lawyers, revealed that a document Ms Saberi had obtained while working as a translator for a powerful clerical lobby had been used as evidence to convict her on charges of espionage. Ms Saberi, 32, was released on Monday after an appeal court dismissed charges of spying and reduced her eight-year prison term to a two-year suspended sentence. Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, the lead defence counsel, said that she had “accepted that she had made a mistake and got access to documents she should not have".

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One doesn't even need classified documents to see what happens

by Anonymous-2 (not verified) on

to them in this country.

It seems that some people on this post have not gotten entangled with the US Justice system to see how corrupt, how unjust it is. Just try to go against a powerful individual regardless of whether you are 100% right and see who the US courts will protect - definitely not the little guy?

A friend of mine who is the COO of a major corp. in the US went to Iran last summer with his wife and kids. While in Iran there was a major emergency at his office and he used his blackberry to arrange a conference call with his employees to instruct them how to correct the problem. It didn't take long before he received a call from the FBI that he must show his face in the US within 24 hours or expect to be imprisoned upon his return. The man left his family, though he had to go to another country for business and immediately returned to the US. Upon arrival he was met with FBI agents at the airport and taken directly to Home Land Security. He had a ton of his companies lawyers accompany him. He was held for 24 hours under interrogation as to what he was doing in Iran, what information was stored in his blackberry etc.. If the man was an ordinary person with no clout, and not a ton of attorneys defending him, I question what would have become of him. From then on, he was specifically told that he could not take his blackberry if he travelled to Iran.

This is just one case and there are many more far worse than this case that some people are simply not even aware of.

The fact that is a land of law and justice is nice on paper but reality is otherwise.


gol-dust

C'mon guys! Why would an American jounalist go there for 6 yrs?

by gol-dust on

there is so much more that we don't know! we just like to speculate here. What do we really know more than what we have been fed by the american media? where is the evidence?

Just hold on to your horses for now and be patient! NASHAASHIDI SHAB DERAAZEH!


Bavafa

To: desideratum.anthropomorph

by Bavafa on

I think you are being way too generous and giving too much credit to the sharp mind. There is surely plenty of mind but nothing sharp about it as far as I am concern or have seen. As I have followed the postings, at least lately, consistently find that some individuals just like to disagree, no matter what. Hate can really blind ones judgment.

Mehrdad


Kaveh Nouraee

Desideratum

by Kaveh Nouraee on

Of course, I am biased against the IRI, and very deeply so. I believe that is fairly common knowledge around here.

That bias is based upon what I have seen, read, heard and experienced. And the result is that there is nothing in the words or deeds of the IRI that involve truth, integrity, honor, justice, and so forth. It is a morally and ethically bankrupt entity that cannot be rehabilitated in any way, shape, or form.

While I respect your association with Mr. Khorramshahi, I must also take into consideration the circumstances under which his statements were made. As Ms. Saberi's attorney, I would naturally expect him to do everything under his power for the benefit of his client, but also given the fact that he is practicing law in a country with a government that is rife with corruption and disregard for those laws, I would also expect that he would act in a way that would afford him a measure of protection as well.


desideratum.anthropomorphized anonymous000

Kaveh khanm

by desideratum.anthropomorph... on

I don’t have much time for this site to my regret, and when I can drop by, I have a general rule not to comment (so as intro, hi, nice to meet you) unless …

 

I just had to say this.  Consistently, you appear to be one of those who’s gifted with intelligence but a gift which totally remains dormant because of your reluctance to look into facts a little more carefully.  Don’t get me started on what ‘facts’ mean etc. etc., and let me forget your political standpoint for a moment as well.  I just think it’s such a pity to see sharp minds go to waste only because of, umm… bias?

 As to the subject at hand, being a close associate of Mr. Khorramshahi , I can attest that if anything I could wish he had is some sense of pragmatism (to say things to help his clients out of the ditch when he has to) and let his idealism go a little bit.  


Kaveh Nouraee

Mola

by Kaveh Nouraee on

If your freedom, and for all intents and purposes, your very life, were at stake, are you going to adhere to your "principles" or are you going to say or do whatever they ask in order to expedite your release?


Mola Nasredeen

Your mustache has blocked your vision

by Mola Nasredeen on

Her lawyer says: "Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, the lead defence counsel, said that she had “accepted that she had made a mistake and got access to documents she should not have". "

Who the hell are you to disagree?


smhb

Why Germany

by smhb on

Lets look at the good ol US of A. If you are in posession of classified documents and you shouldnt have access to them you will be fully prosecuted unless you are a pro israel jew, evangelical christian zionist or a left over of the shah's regime.

Numerous cases in recent times. One is the chinese scientists in the Sandia National Lab and the other is the case of the Iranian engineer who had allegedly have a copy of a process control software for a nuclear power plant in his posession that come to mind.

The Iranian has been tried and treated as an enemy spy.

For the die hard pro zionists and pro imperialists on this web site, oh well what can I say. 


Kaveh Nouraee

Sorry....not buying it

by Kaveh Nouraee on

This is coming out after the fact.

If this is legitimate, why don't they show the "evidence"?

This is just another part of the endless games mollahs play, and they still think that the rest of us are so stupid as to believe it.


delldaar

What secret document !

by delldaar on

Read the whole Times article, the so called document was given to Roxana by the same Haroomzadeh mullas ,who put her in jail and after  so called IRI style " trial" , it was detemined that the this very impotant document  ! was not clssified afterall, So dear IRI sympathizer relax and take deep breth, your beloved regimes secret is safe.


capt_ayhab

in us

by capt_ayhab on

If one was caught in US with such documents 2 possibilities would exist:

1. If he/she was Israeli, they would be set free, with first class ticket and raise in salary back to Israel.

2. If he/she was Muslim they would be labeled terrorist, taken to some secret CIA prison, tortured the sh!t out of them and God knows afterwords.

 

-YT


Abarmard

wow

by Abarmard on

very interesting. I wonder if anyone was caught having such documents, let's say in Germany, what would have happen to them?

Inquiring minds want to know.


default

I told you so!

by Kurush (not verified) on

In my several posts on this subject I reiterated that Saberi was a CIA and/or MI6 agent just because I know the subject of espinoage well enough. However, her assignemnt was not necessarily information gathering, although she would have done that anyway as a 'reporter',- her real function was what is called in the trade as 'agent of influence', meaning she had developped a vast network of contacts/dissidents whose profile she passed on to her emplyers. This is extremely valuable information because agent insertion into IRI is extremely difficult. Chosen candidates from the list, after passing painstaking psychological analysis of their profile, lifestyle, etc., would have been contacted, recruited, funded. Saberi's exposure is a blow to the CIA, because all her contacts are now compromised like rotten apples.


Ostaad

It must have been a secret message in the...

by Ostaad on

(wine) bottle (:<{


capt_ayhab

lol

by capt_ayhab on

I'll be damned    lol

-YT