Roxana Saberi

When the word ‘dangerous’ comes to mind, journalism is not the first thought that crosses one’s mind. Countless journalists each year loose their lives doing their jobs and attempting to spread the truth. Still these stories often go unnoticed or are kept hidden from the mainstream media. However, after learning about Roxana Saberi many perceptions may change about journalists and their perilous lives. Roxana Saberi is a U.S. journalist who is currently being held in a prison in Iran on accusations the US call “baseless”. She is just one example of the hazards and consequences being a truthful journalist entails.
Roxana was an Iranian-American journalist who was arrested in February 2009 in Iran after purchasing a bottle of wine (illegal in Iran). Her charges grew with the accusation of working alongside a reporter without press credentials. She was formally charged with espionage on April 8th, 2009. She is being held in Iran in the Evin Prison which is notorious for executing its “political prisoners”. The accusations against Saberi are especially controversial because Saberi has been a respected journalist for many years doing freelance work for stations around the world including BBC, Fox News, and NPR.
Roxana Saberi has dual citizenship in Iran and America, where she grew up in Fargo, North Dakota. After excelling in High School in both academics and athletics she attended Concorida College in Minnesota. She earned degrees in French and Communications and quickly followed her education at Northwestern with a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, and a second master’s degree at Cambridge University in International Relations. Not only is an intellectual, Saberi also a beauty who won Miss North Dakota in 1997 and was a finalist in the Miss. America Pageant.
Roxana Saberi being an experienced and qualified young woman, excelled in her early career as a freelance journalist. She did regular segments for Radio New Zealand, Channel News Asia, DW Radio, and Vatican Radio. However, her great potential was cut short when Iran imprisoned her for “espionage”, an accusation lacking any valid evidence. However, that seems to be of little importance in the corrupt judicial system in Iran where Saberi was sentenced to eight years in prison. This immediately sparked anger across the world and prompted several major broadcast presidents to write a joint letter to Iran pleading for her release. The situation is also being a top priority on Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s list, where she herself is communicating and discussing Saberi’s case in Iran. At this moment, the Iranian, United States international conflict is just growing. However, Saberi’s story may not be resolved yet it does shine the spotlight on a topic that has been ignored for many years. Her story may prevent history from repeating itself.