A political prisoner caught in the middle of a dramatic political struggle between Iran and the U.S., Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi captured the attention of the world when reports surfaced of her imprisonment in Iran. Abducted by four men early one morning in January 2009 and placed in solitary confinement, Ms. Saberi, who was working as a freelance journalist in Tehran, contributing to NPR and the BBC among others, was falsely accused of spying for the United States. Ms. Saberi, a former Miss North Dakota, who led an all-American life before moving to Iran was sentenced to eight years in prison. Her battle for freedom would last 100 days before an appeals court released her following an international uproar. In the midst of reaching out to Iran to start a dialogue after decades of political deadlock, the Obama administration harshly criticized Iran over her imprisonment and there was speculation that Iranian President Ahmadinejad intervened on her behalf as a diplomatic overture.
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT- CLICK HERE! View Roxana's captivating 2-part interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. (Part 1 and Part II)
On The Streets of Tehran
Since the disputed Iranian election, hundreds of thousands in the streets of Iran have called for freedom, fighting for free and fair elections. The Iranian regime's reaction of using deadly violence to quell the protests has sparked outrage among its citizens and the international community. Living in Iran for six years as a journalist, Roxana Saberi witnessed the developments leading up to these events in Iran firsthand. She weaves together the political, cultural, and historical significance of these events as they continue to unfold, and what it means for democracy, the Middle East and the world.
Courage Under Fire
Abducted and placed in solitary confinement, Ms. Saberi was blindfolded and interrogated for hours. Promised freedom if she just confessed she was a spy, Ms.Saberi shares the dramatic account of her imprisonment, why she recanted her false confession at the risk of her freedom, the strength she gained through her fellow prisoners and her new insight as to what courage means. During her interview with Diane Sawyer, Ms. Saberi said she learned, "Do what you think is right, even if you suffer for it. In the end you will be victorious."
Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American journalist who had been living in Iran since 2003, was arrested on Jan. 31 while working as a freelance journalist and researching a book on Iran. She was falsely accused of being a spy for the U.S. Originally sentenced to eight years in prison, she credited her May 11 release from Tehran's Evin Prison in large part to the outpouring of international support, both political and public. Ms. Saberi said, "I'm very grateful for that, but some of [the women prisoners] are not even known to the outside world. There's not the same kind of international support for them," she said. "What they're trying to do is stand up, for example, for freedom of speech or belief and religion – for basic human rights. I have to say that they were some of the strongest and most admirable people that I have ever met, not only in Iran, but in my whole life." Since her release, Ms. Saberi has been working on a memoir of her experiences in Iran. BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: My Life and Captivity in Iran is set for publication by HarperCollins in early 2010. She has also been speaking out for Iran's "prisoners of conscience" as well as the Iranians who have been detained in the aftermath of Iran’s disputed presidential election.
View Roxana's Website at www.roxanasaberi.com
