Hashemi, a 59-year-old Muslim convert who has lived in Iran for years, had been arrested in St. Louis international airport on January 13, while in the US to see her family.
Sources at the US government announced days after her arrest that she had been detained as a “material witness” in a foreign registration case against Iran’s Press TV, the channel Hashemi was working for.
Hashemi’s family said in a statement on Wednesday that she will stay in Washington DC to protest against harassment of the black community.
“Marzieh Hashemi will be remaining in Washington DC for the protest on Friday and calls for all cities across the world to keep their protest,” the statement read.
“Just as America is aware of the harassment of the Black community by the police, America needs to start talking about the harassment of the Muslim community by the FBI,” her family said.
It is not just about Marzieh Hashemi, the statement added, it is about the fact that anyone, “Muslim or non-Muslim, can be imprisoned without charge in the United States.”
