Iran: Roxana Saberi Freed from Tehran Prison

Enduring America, 17 April: "For Saberi’s sake and — not more importantly but more broadly — for the sake of US-Iran engagement, some politicians and officials in Iran need to move with a face-saving solution such as conviction and immediate deportation."

Iran's Press TV has confirmed that, a day after her appeal of an 8-year sentence for espionage, Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi has been freed from jail in Tehran. Saberi's father Reza collected her in front of Evin prison.

Saberi's defence lawyer Saleh Nikbakht earlier said, "Her punishment has been changed to a suspended two-year sentence and she will be out of prison in one-and-half hours." Iranian judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi confirmed to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, "In consideration of this ruling, naturally she will be freed."

The narrow legal rationale, according to Al Jazeera's Alireza Ronaghi, is that Saberi was sentenced under "article 501 that says any co-operation with hostile governments and hostile countries deserved one to 10 years in prison....That article of law has been disputed by lawyers who say Iran is not at war with anyone at the moment", raising the question of interpretation of "hostile government".

The overriding reason for Saberi's release, however, is political. As Ronaghi notes, "[Iran doesn't] want to jeopardise all the possibilities and potential of future changes in Iran-US relations with one court order."