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News > U.S.

US: Iranian TV Anchor Released from Detention Without Charge

  • Iranians during a protest in favor of Marzieh Hashemi in Tehran, Iran, 20, Jan. 2019.

    Iranians during a protest in favor of Marzieh Hashemi in Tehran, Iran, 20, Jan. 2019. | Photo: EFE file

Published 24 January 2019
Opinion

The 59-year-old journalist regained her freedom after being held for 10 days in detention, without any accusation.

Iranian Press TV anchor Marzieh Hashemi, who was detained for being a "material witness" in an investigation but was not charged with any crime, was released Wednesday after 10 days of detention in the United States.

RELATED:
Iranians Call For Protest Against Arrest of TV Anchor by FBI

The journalist Hashemi, who was born Melanie Franklin in the United States and changed her name after converting to Islam, is already reunited with her family in Washington DC. 

"Marzieh and her family will not allow this to be swept under the carpet. They still have serious grievances and want answers as to how this was allowed to happen. They want assurances that this won’t happen to any Muslim... ever again," according to a release issued by her family. The statement added that "just as the U.S. is aware of the harassment of the Black community by the police, the U.S. needs to start talking about the harassment of the Muslim community by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)."

Hashemi was arrested on Jan. 13 on arrival at the Saint Louis-Lambert International Airport in the state of Missouri. She was then transferred by the FBI to a detention center in Washington DC.

The PressTV anchor reported that during her arrest she was forced to take off her hijab and was not given food.

The Iranian Government called the arrest of the journalist "illegal" and demanded that the United States immediately release her, while campaigns were launched on Twitter with #FreeMarziehHashemi and #PrayForMarziehHashemi.

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