Roxana Saberi’s detention and trial [“U.S. Journalist Held in Iran Faces Charges of Spying,” , April 9] are a tragic example of human rights violations that have become the norm in Iran. In a similar , the Iranian Revolutionary Court recently sentenced Kamiar and Arash Alaei, brothers who are world-renowned HIV/AIDS physicians, to three and six years in prison, respectively, for allegedly “communicating with enemy governments” because of their participation in global health conferences. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s regime has condemned countless Iranian journalists, activists and scientists on illegitimate charges without producing evidence to back them up. This crackdown on international exchange and academic freedom undermines the efforts of those who seek to shine a light on Iranian society and serve the Iranian people.
In closing his congratulatory letter to the newly elected President Obama, Mr. Ahmadinejad asked him “to use every chance to serve, to spread love and kindness, to eradicate oppression, [and] to do justice.”
Mr. Ahmadinejad should begin by spreading justice in his own country and releasing innocent citizens such as Ms. Saberi and the Alaeis. Whether reporting the …
