FM Zarif Blasts US Imprisonment of Iran’s TV Anchor Hashemi
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday lashed out at the US for imprisonment of Iran’s anchorwoman Marzieh Hashemi, describing the move as a "political game".
Iranian English-language Press TV anchorwoman, born Melanie Franklin in the United States, was detained upon arrival at St. Louis Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sunday, but wasn't allowed to contact her family until late Tuesday.
"Ms. Marzieh Hashemi is the wife of an Iranian person and is therefore an Iranian citizen and we see it as our duty to defend the rights of our citizens," Zarif said in an interview with Iranian Arabic network Al Alam on Wednesday.
"The move by the US to arrest her is an unacceptable political move and a violation of freedom of speech," he argued.
"On that basis, the Americans should immediately end this political game."
A Muslim convert who has been living in Iran for years, Hashemi had traveled to the US to visit her ill brother and other family members, Press TV reported.
She told her daughter that she was handcuffed and shackled and was being treated like a criminal.
The journalist also said that she had her hijab forcibly removed, and was photographed without her headscarf upon arrival at the prison.
