Iran slammed for mass arrests after US frees reporter

LONDON - The United States has freed a journalist working for Iran's English-language television station Press TV after 10 days in detention, the channel has announced.

While Iranian officials and state media have widely condemned the arrest of Marzieh Hashemi, data released recently by Amnesty International highlights a widespread campaign of arrest and harassment those in the media face in the Islamic Republic.

The case has led to accusations of hypocrisy leveled at both the US and Iran.

US-born Hashemi was arrested on arrival at St Louis Lambert International Airport on January 13.

A Muslim convert who changed her name from Melanie Franklin, she had reportedly been visiting her ill brother and other family members.

Press TV reported her release late on Wednesday.

"The US government has released without charge Press TV anchor Marzieh Hashemi after 10 days of illegal detention," said the report published on its website.

The site carried an audio message from Hashemi in which she confirmed her release and thanked her family and friends for their support.

"Finally, I've been released from jail," she said.

"I have a lot to say about what I've been through. We will talk about it later, God willing," she added, apparently in a reference to reports she had been forced to remove her headscarf worn as required under Islamic law.

A US court said on Friday that Hashemi had been arrested but that she would be freed after giving testimony over an unspecified case.

She appeared at least twice before a US federal judge in Washington, and court papers said she would be released immediately after her testimony before a grand jury. Court documents did not include details on the criminal case in which she was named a material witness.

The detention had caused an uproar in Iran with many conservatives pointing to it as an example of US hypocrisy over human rights and freedom of speech.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on January 17 described the detention as a "political action" by the United States that "tramples on freedom of speech" and demanded she be released.

'Year of shame'

Iran arrested more than 7,000 people last year, including dozens of journalists, in what Amnesty International on Thursday called a "shameless campaign of repression".

Even as Hashemi was released, Iran sentenced prominent whistleblower journalist Yashar Soltani to five years in prison after his series of exposes alleging massive corruption in land deals linked to Tehran's former mayor.

Meanwhile, Iranian state TV continues to face criticism for airing statements from detainees made under duress, including two recent ones from labor activists Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian who allegedly faced torture. Authorities detained both of them again this week.

The Amnesty report said that among those arrested in 2018 were protesters, students, journalists, environmental activists, workers and human rights defenders. Some 50 detainees were media workers, of whom at least 20 "were sentenced to harsh prison or flogging sentences after unfair trials," the report said.

"2018 will go down in history as a 'year of shame' for Iran," said Philip Luther, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa research and advocacy director. "Iran's authorities sought to stifle any sign of dissent by stepping up their crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and carrying out mass arrests of protesters."

On Thursday, Iran's judiciary chief Ayatollah Sedegh Amoli said a "massive release" of prisoners is expected on the 40th anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution next month, according to the judiciary's official website. Official reports say there are more than 240,000 prisoners in Iran.

Last year began with nationwide protests that started over Iran's deteriorating economy and soon grew into anti-government demonstrations. Iran is in the grip of a financial crisis and has seen sporadic protests in recent months as officials try to downplay the effects of the newly restored US sanctions on Tehran.