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April 21, 2009

Nobel Laureate to Defend Jailed Iranian American
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In news from Iran, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has
joined the defense team of the imprisoned Iranian American journalist
Roxana Saberi. A secret Iranian court sentenced Saberi to eight years in
prison last week for allegedly spying for the United States. One of
Iran’s leading dissidents, Ebadi will join Saberi’s legal team as it
appeals the conviction. On Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
repeated US calls for Saberi’s immediate release.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “We believe she should be freed
immediately, that the charges against her are baseless, and that she has
been subjected to a process that has been non-transparent,
unpredictable, arbitrary. And we hope that actions will be taken as soon
as possible by the authorities in Iran, including the judiciary, to
bring about the speedy release of Ms. Saberi and her return home.”



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