Roxana Saberi

American journalist Roxana Saberi was sentenced to eight years in prison, in Iran, on an espionage charge. Saberi, who has reported for NPR, BBC and FOX News, was arrested on January 31, 2009, and accused of spying for the U.S. Government. She was sentenced on April 18, 2009. Saberi was released from prison on May 11, 2009 after four months in jail.Voice of America: Iran Sentences US Reporter to 8 Years... (April 18, 2009)

In her first interview since being released from an Iranian prison, Roxana Saberi talked with Melissa Block of NPR. In the interview, which aired on May 28, 2009, Saberi talks about why she gave a false confession, lies told by Iranian authorities on why she was arrested and threats made by her interrogators.NPR: Roxana Saberi On Her Imprisonment In Iran (May 28, 2009)

Saberi had moved to Iran sometime around 2003 and was reportedly writing a book about the country at the time of her arrest. She is a former Miss North Dakota and has worked as a journalist for FOX News, the BBC and NPR.FOXNews.com: American Freelance Journalist Detained in Iran, Father Says (March 1, 2009)

On April 8, 2009, the Iranian media reported that Saberi was been charged with espionage. Hillary Clinton has called for her release and Barack Obama has extended offers for improved diplomatic ties with Iran.

Saberi's parents arrived in Iran on April 5, 2009, and were allowed to visit their daughter for only 20 minutes on Monday April 6, 2009.FOX: Iran Charges Detained American Reporter With Espionage(April 8, 2009)

On February 10, 2009, Saberi called her parents and said she had been arrested on January 31, 2009. She didn't elaborate but said she would be released in two or three days. Her father told FOX News that Saberi told him "she had bought a bottle of wine and the person that sold it had reported it and then they came and arrested her." She told him not to tell anyone about the incident.FOXNews.com: American Freelance Journalist Detained in Iran, Father Says (March 1, 2009)

On April 25, 2009, Saberi's father, Reza Saberi, told Reuters that his daughter began a hunger strike on April 20, 2009. BBC News: Saberi "On Hunger Strike" in Iran (April 24, 2009) The group Reporters Without Borders, who went on hunger strike in solidarity with Saberi, said that Saberi, who is reportedly very weak, was briefly hospitalized on May 1, 2009, but released after drinking water.Taiwan News: Journalist Group: US Reporter Hospitalized in Iran (May 4, 2009)Reporters Without Borders: Campaign Continues...Solidarity for Roxana Saberi (May 3, 2009)

On Monday May 4, 2009, Saberi ended a two-week-long hunger strike, which she began in protest to her incarceration in Tehran's Evin prison. Ali Reza Jamshidi, a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, denied the claims stating Saberi was in "complete health and not on hunger strike."BBC: Saberi Ends Hunger Strike...(May 6, 2009)