The federal government forcibly seized, shackled & is imprisoning Marzieh Hashemi, a grandmother who has not even been charged with a crime. This violates some of the most fundamental principles on which the US was founded, and that protect all Americans of every political persuasion, race, religion, and ethnicity.
Hashemi will be taken to the federal courthouse in Washington, her son told AP. He has said she’s been jailed as a material witness, though it’s unclear for which case. She hasn’t been charged with a crime.
Committee to Protect Journalists and PEN call for Justice Department to state why it has jailed US citizen Marzieh Hashemi, a prominent journalist with Iran’s Press TV. FBI & Justice Dept refuse to comment… possible court appearances not listed in dockets…
The US has jailed prominent Press TV journalist Marzieh Hashemi, an American citizen, apparently as a “material witness”– ‘a charge authorities use when they need a reason to arrest somebody but don’t have one.’ She was visiting family & filming a documentary on Black Lives Matter when she was detained at the St. Louis airport, handcuffed and shackled.
The US is holding 59-year-old Marzieh Hashemi, a popular Iranian news anchor, under abusive conditions. Born Melanie Franklin in New Orleans, she was on her way to visit a sick brother when she was arrested… she was held 48 hours before being allowed to contact her daughter.