Arrest of Press TV Journalist in the U.S.; Iran Summons Swiss Ambassador

On Tuesday, February 21, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss ambassador in Tehran to protest the arrest of a Press TV journalist in the United States. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that Tehran demands the immediate release of Marzieh Hashemi, an American journalist for Press TV, the English-language television network of the Islamic Republic. Qasemi said: "In this meeting, an official note of protest regarding the actions of U.S. government officials in the arrest and inhumane and discriminatory treatment of the Press TV journalist, who traveled to the U.S. to visit her family, was delivered to the Swiss ambassador, and her immediate and unconditional release was requested." The Press TV journalist appeared in a Washington court. Diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S. were severed following the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by students following Imam Khomeini's line on November 4, 1979, and since then, the Swiss embassy in Tehran has been responsible for protecting U.S. interests. Marzieh Hashemi (Melanie Franklin), an American journalist for the state-run Press TV, was arrested on January 13 at St. Louis airport and transferred to Washington by the FBI. Hashemi's son stated that his mother was arrested as a "key witness" in a criminal case and no charges have been filed against her so far. According to federal law, if a person's testimony is proven to be key in investigations and there is no guarantee of their summons for further investigations, the U.S. government can keep witnesses in custody. The FBI has not commented on this case so far. According to Press TV, Hashemi was born in the U.S. and was previously named Melanie Franklin before converting to Islam. She has lived in Iran for over a decade and traveled to the U.S. to visit family. Press TV announced that Hashemi is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described Hashemi's arrest as a "violation of freedom of expression and unacceptable." Earlier, Suzanne Nossel, the head of PEN America, expressed concern that Hashemi might have been arrested due to the documentary "Black Lives Matter" or in retaliation for the arrest of American citizens in Iran, both of which she described as "gross violations of democratic norms." The head of PEN America emphasized that if there are other reasons for Hashemi's arrest, they should be clarified; otherwise, she should be released immediately.