An Iranian-American journalist detained in Iran has been sentenced to
eight years in prison on charges of spying for the United States.
A lawyer for journalist Roxana Saberi said Saturday he will appeal the verdict handed down by an Iranian court.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she is "deeply
disappointed" by the sentencing of Saberi. She said U.S. officials will
continue to vigorously raise their concerns about the case to Iran's
government.
The 31-year old Saberi had been working in Iran for news outlets. She
was arrested in late January for allegedly working in the country
without valid press credentials.
Iranian authorities recently announced espionage charges against her.
They said she used journalism as a cover to pass classified information
to U.S. intelligence services -- a charge the United States rejected as
"baseless."
An official with an international press freedom group, Reporters
Without Borders, says his organization is protesting what it calls a
"sham" trial. He says the charges against Saberi do not correspond with
Iran's penal code.