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Press TV / AP
An Iranian-American woman arrested five days ago during a visit to the United States testifies behind closed doors in front of a grand jury in Washington, DC, a US federal judge said Friday.
The revelation of US District Court Chief Justice Beryl Howell in Washington, DC, provides for the first time information on the mystery surrounding Press TV presenter Marzieh Hashemi, the English version of Iranian television.
Family members say that Hachemi, 59 years old. was arrested Sunday at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, and then taken away by the FBI to Washington.
But the FBI and other law enforcement agencies refused to comment, refusing to say whether it was even under their custody. [19659008HoustedHowell'sdecisionthatHacheminhadbeenchargedhoweverhadnotbeencomparedtotwocasesbeforetheCourtofJusticeAllwouldhavetobereleasedwhenshewasgiventestimonybeforetheGrandJury
The Howell case did not specify when Hashemi could conclude his testimony and gave no information about the case. The case in which she was testifying.
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However, Hashemi's attorney, Preston Burton, said, "We expect her to return soon to her family, home and in her career. . "
Hashemi was born in New Orleans as Melanie Franklin. She married an Iranian man, converted to Islam, changed her name and moved to Iran in the 1980s. Although she is unknown in the United States, she is an important figure in Iran because of her his position on public television. She is a citizen of the United States and Iran.
"The guard of the Iranian journalist in the United States is highly political and she should be released immediately," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by the Islamic News Agency.
Hashemi came to the United States to visit relatives and shoot a documentary, according to the Associated Press, which spoke with his son Hossein Hashemi.
"We want clearer answers," Hossein Hashemi said in a separate interview with Press TV. "We have trouble understanding how an unindicted person can be detained in such an institution."
Federal law allows the detention of a person who is "an important element in criminal proceedings" if it appears that this person is unlikely.
In an interview with Scott Simon of NPR in 2009, Marzieh Hashemi defended Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and his expulsion from foreign media after a violent crackdown on protesters who were contesting his electoral victory.
"I think the average Iranian feels very free to express himself, agree?" Hashemi said. "But I think that under the laws of this country – and every country has its own rules and its own laws.Therefore, freedom of expression, I think that with time, there are moments , especially in emergency situations, difficult situations that governments around the world will make certain decisions. "
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