Iranians Charge U.S. Journalist Roxana Saberi with Espionage

Hey Obama, When are you going to do something? We now have 1 female journalist being held in Iran and 2 female journalists being held in North Korea. Gee, I think they just might be testing you. So far, you're getting an "F".

Roxana Saberi is a 31 year old journalist from Fargo, North Dakota.

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from Hot Air.com

April 8, 2009
by Ed Morrissey

Apparently, all that talk about friendship and Nowruz greetings hasn’t helped. Early last month, I wrote about the suspicious disappearance of American journalist Roxana Saberi in Iran after running afoul of the police for “illegal reporting”. Today, Fox and AP both report that the Iranians have charged Saberi with espionage for her efforts to write a book about the Iranian people:

The lawyer for an Iranian-American journalist detained in Iran says she has been charged with espionage.

The lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, says Roxana Saberi has been informed of the charges against her.

Saberi has apparently been held since late January on charges of purchasing alcohol, but the real crime is journalism without a license. Iran revoked Saberi’s permission to work as a journalist, but she chose to remain behind anyway to work on her book. Iranians often revoke permits for journalists while ignoring their work, but they obviously came to a different decision about Saberi — at the same time Barack Obama took the oath of office.

Joe Biden warned in October that nations would find ways to test a new, inexperienced President, and this looks like that kind of effort. The Iranians have gone out of their way to reject Obama’s overtures since he took office, including his call for greater dialogue. They have cemented their position on nuclear research, and have done their best to look as intransigent as possible. Thus far, they have not gotten Obama to push back against their rhetoric.

The trial of Roxana Saberi looks like another boundary test. Will Obama demand Saberi’s release publicly? Will Iran use it as a bargaining chip for further concessions? We will soon see how Obama responds to this test. In the meantime, keep Saberi and her family in your prayers.

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N.Korea to put 2 U.S. Journalists on Trial

from The Korea Times
03-31-2009 20:12
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

North Korea announced Tuesday that it will try two U.S. journalists it has detained on charges of illegal entry and committing hostile acts, as opposed to expelling them.

Analysts say that the decision means it could take long time to get the pair released.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, both working with independent media Current TV, were taken into custody on March 17 near the China-North Korea border.

"The illegal entry of U.S. reporters into North Korea and their suspected hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their statements,'' said the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KNCA).

"The state is to indict them,'' the KCNA said.

However, it did not give any details as to what the "hostile acts'' were. Intelligence sources at home and abroad said the journalists were probably being interrogated for alleged spying. Under North Korean law, people convicted of espionage can be jailed for up to 20 years.

The KCNA's announcement came hours after the U.S. State Department said that a Swedish diplomat had access to the American journalists.

"It was over the weekend. A representative of the Swedish Embassy met with each one individually,'' State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said.

He did not specify the current condition of the Korean-American Lee and Chinese-American Ling, who are believed to have entered North Korea from China by mistake.

According to reports, they were sent to a top-security guesthouse on the outskirts of Pyongyang a day after they were arrested but State Department officials have not confirmed where they are being detained.

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FREE THE JOURNALISTS! North Korea is Taunting Obama - How will he respond?

When the two journalists were first kidnapped, it was reported that they were in Chinese Territory at the time. The Official China News Agency (Government) confirms the first news report.

This is a deliberate act by North Korea to taunt and intimidate Obama. Hey Barry! FREE THE JOURNALISTS!
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FM: Detained US journalists 'not in Chinese territory'

from The China Daily
March 24, 2009

BEIJING - China said Tuesday that two Americans detained by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) were not "within the territory of China."

A report by the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency said that the country detained two American women as they were "illegally intruding into the territory of the DPRK by crossing the DPRK-China border."

When asked to comment on the incident at a regular press briefing, Qin Gang said the two were not in Chinese territory and told reporters to ask for more information directly from relevant countries.

Pyongyang said the authorities were "investigating the case," while the United States was reported to have requested the DPRK to release the two journalists as soon as possible.

U.S. State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood said the country was in contact with the DPRK through the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang to ascertain the truth.
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North Korea Says It Detained Two Americans for Illegal Entry

The first news I read about this situation indicated that the two reporters were standing in Chinese territory taking pictures of North Korea. That early article indicated that North Korean soldiers crossed over into Chinese territory to abduct these two reporters. If that is true, Obama can add another diplomatic mess to his plate.

The bottom line is that North Korea is holding two American Reporters. What is he going to do about it?
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from Bloomberg.com
By Bomi Lim
blim30@bloomberg.net
March 21

(Bloomberg)-- North Korea said it detained two Americans this week for “illegally intruding” into its territory from China, confirming an earlier statement by the U.S. State Department.
The two Americans were taken on March 17, the communist country’s official Korean Central News Agency reported today. “A competent organ is now investigating the case,” it said, without naming the detainees or providing further details.

Two female journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were on assignment with San Francisco-based Current TV when they were taken into custody close to the border region, the Los Angeles Times reported. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said March 21 two U.S. citizens had been held by North Korean authorities.

The State Department is seeking information from “a number of parties” and has asked the Swedish embassy to discuss the case with the North Koreans, Wood said. The U.S. and North Korea don’t have full diplomatic relations.
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