Iran Parliament Speaker Denounces US Arrest of Press TV Anchor

Iran’s parliament speaker has criticised the US arrest of the Iran-based journalist Marzieh Hashemi, describing it as yet another proof that Washington does not hold real respect for human rights and sees it a tool for pressurising independent states.

Speaking in an open parliament session on Sunday, Ali Larijani said the brutal behaviour of the US shows its ideas of human rights are similar to Saudi Arabia.

“The brutal conduct of the US regime towards this Press TV journalist and their illegal behaviour shows they [believe] human rights are for others and they act in the same way their client states behaved toward [Jamal] Khashoggi,” he said, referring to the slain Saudi journalist, whose brutal killing at the hand of Saudi government shocked the world late last year.

Hashemi, an anchor and journalist affiliated with Iran’s English-language news channel Press TV, was arrested Sunday at the St. Louis airport on a visit to see an ailing family member.

Iran has protested the arrest of Hashemi and the reported mistreatment she had suffered at the hands of the US police, calling on the US to disclose the basis for her detention.

“If things much less serious than what happened to this journalist in the US or [yellow vest] protesters in France had happened in Iran, the world would have gone deaf by their shouts in defense of human rights,” Larijani said.

“This is another example of fallacious politics in the international scene which hides the violence in its governance behind deceptive words,” he added.

Hashemi, born in the US in 1959, converted to Islam and moved to Iran following the 1979 revolution of Iran.

A US court on Friday confirmed the arrest of Hashemi, saying she is not accused of a crime but her testimony is required over an unspecified case, AFP reported.

The order said Hashemi was arrested on “a material arrest warrant” in a case in Washington.

IFP Editorial Staff

The IFP Editorial Staff is composed of dozens of skilled journalists, news-writers, and analysts whose works are edited and published by experienced editors specialized in Iran News. The editor of each IFP Service is responsible for the report published by the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website, and can be contacted through the ways mentioned in the "IFP Editorial Staff" section.