Iran Courts Sentence Lutheran College Alumna

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- An Iranian court sentenced a Lutheran college alumna to eight years in prison at an April 18 hearing in Tehran.

Roxana Saberi, 31, a journalist who filed reports for National Public Radio (NPR), the BBC and others, was convicted of espionage. Iran revoked her journalist credentials in 2006, and considers all subsequent news gathering illegal.

Saberi was slated to deliver the May 3 commencement address at her alma mater, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. Concordia is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Saberi was born in the United States and grew up in Fargo, N.D., with her Iranian father and Japanese mother. She was named the 1997 Miss North Dakota while pursuing a degree at Concordia.

Saberi has been held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison since January. No evidence against her has been made public.

After the verdict was announced, Reza Saberi said in an interview with NPR that his daughter was weak, frail and depressed. He fears for her health, too, because "she wants to go on a hunger strike."

He said that during her imprisonment, Iranian officials coerced his daughter into making false statements in exchange for her freedom. But after realizing she'd been "tricked," she repeatedly told officials the statements were false, her father said.

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop and president of the Lutheran World Federation, wrote to the Iranian government April 9 asking for Roxana's Saberi's release. In the letter, he noted the "shared Abrahamic heritage" of Christians and Muslims.

"Our culture has grown to value journalists as agents of truth and to give them latitude for investigation and truth- telling," Hanson wrote. "Therefore, in addition to our call to advocate for persons in prison, I am called to advocate for the freedom of journalists who are not engaging in espionage but only trying to discover the truth of a given matter. Descendents of Abraham are seekers of truth."

Dr. Pamela M. Jolicouer, president of Concordia College, said a few days ago that the college had a contingency plan for a commencement speaker. She declined to discuss the details "because we are still hopeful that Roxana will be here."

After the verdict was announced, NPR called on Iranian officials to "show compassion" by letting Saberi return home to the United States with her parents. Saberi's father said the case would be appealed.