Fate of Arrested American Anchor for Iran’s PressTV Remains Uncertain

FBI, Justice Dept continue to decline comment on Hashemi's arrest

The fate of US-born anchor and reporter Marzieh Hashemi, arrested Sunday at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, remains uncertain, as US officials continue to refuse all comment on her arrest, as well as where or why she is being held.

Hashemi, who works for Iran’s PressTV, was in St. Louis filming a Black Lives Matter documentary. After her arrest at the airport, she was reportedly handed off to the FBI in Washington D.C. That’s where things get really uncertain.

The FBI is declining all comment on Hashemi.The Department of Justice didn’t even get around to a “no comment,” as their entire press office appears to be closed because of the government shutdown.

Her family isn’t any more clear on this than the rest of us. Her children report receiving subpoenas for a grand jury, presumably related, but have broadly been unable to contact their mother. They are struggling to get a lawyer for her case, because officials can’t even confirm that she’s being charged with anything, and despite being in custody since Sunday, she has yet to see the inside of a courtroom.

Legal experts are questioning the legality of her detention, though it is difficult to conclusively say in what way it is illegal, since officials haven’t presented even a nominal justification for what they’ve done.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.