Beyond Roxana Saberi: The Arrest of Esha Momeni in Iran

Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, jailed for eight years on espionage charges in Iran, is now entering the second week of a hunger strike. Understandably, given her work for Western media and the building drama, her situation is now daily news. Beyond those headlines, however, there are other cases of individuals imprisoned --- in Iran and the US --- as part of  political manoeuvring.

Last October, California State University graduate student Esha Momeni (pictured) was detained in Tehran's Evin Prison. Momeni, an Iranian-American dual national, was researching her thesis on the women's rights movement in Iran when she was picked up by the authorities. Campaigners for Momeini, who was suffering from kidneystones, claimed that she received no medical care and that her lawyer and family cannot see her.

Momeni was initally charged with a traffic violation, but with other women's rights activists, she was later charged with "endangering national security" as "agents of Western powers". She probably crossed the line when her research included the filming of a documentary on the activists,

Momeni was released on 10 November when her bail of approximately $200,000 was met by the deeds to her family’s apartment. She is still barred from leaving Iran or from pursuing any research in connection with her Master's thesis.