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TIA WEB DESK
The United States has confirmed that it has arrested an Iranian television journalist. The Washington District Court said that Marzieh Hashemi’s testimony is required over an unspecified case, but that she is not accused of a crime.
The court added that Hashemi will be released immediately after the completion of her testimony to a grand jury investigating unspecified violations of US criminal law.
Hashemi was arrested on Sunday at the St. Louis airport on a visit to see an ailing family member. Iran has protested the arrest of Hashemi, who is a presenter on Iran’s English-language Press TV.
Although she is an American citizen, Tehran considers Hashemi an Iranian citizen due to her marriage.
Meanwhile, according to Press TV children of its Anchor Marzieh Hashemi have expressed concern about the situation of their mother who is languishing in US jail for a week now without any charge.
Hashemi’s daughter, Sarah, told Press TV in a statement Saturday that they were “very concerned” for their mother.
“We are hoping she will be free soon, but we have no concrete information and don’t know when that will be. We still do not know what this is about, which concerns us greatly. This is a very difficult time for the whole family,” Sarah said.
“My mother is a well-known journalist and has not committed any crime but this whole process has felt as if she is being treated like a criminal,” she added.
Hashemi, a 59-year-old US citizen who has been living in Iran for years, was detained last week while she was in the United States to visit her ill brother and other family members.
After days of silence, the US government confirmed Friday that it has been holding Hashemi in jail since Sunday as a “material witness” and that she will be released after she testifies before a grand jury.