Ten days ago, US citizen Marzieh Hashemi was arrested at the St. Louis Lambert Airport, and transferred into FBI custody. On Wednesday, she was finally released, having never been charged with a crime.
Hashemi is a journalist and an anchor for Iran’s PressTV, and her arrest was the subject of mounting international scrutiny, though the US government had refused virtually all comment. Officially she was kept in prison as a “material witness.”
Hashemi and her family issued a statement following her release, saying she retains “serious grievances” about her treatment in the US prison system, during which her hijab was forcibly removed, and she was denied food in keeping with her religious requirements. She has promised to continue protests to prevent the US from imprisoning people without charges like this ever again.
Broadly there is still no information from the US government about what happened. Hashemi was in court on at least thee occasions, but it is as yet unclear what, if anything, was discussed therein, and the Justice Department has in the past overtly abused the material witness law as a way to detain people when they lack any legal basis for doing so.
If Ms. Hashemi had been arrested in in Iran, she’d likely leave custody, (if at all) with a far different level of confidence. On the other hand, civil forfeiture can be very traumatic.
Although she obviously wasn’t given the worse treatment a U.S. detention can entail, she probably should never have been detained like that at all.
Ms Hashemi was incarcerated for no reasons whatsoever she has no clue why she landed in prison. She was not picked up in Iran she was picked up here at a USA airport. The USA says it cherishes freedom of speech and the right to due process which was denied. The USA is a bully preaching human rights elsewhere not practicing what they preach.
Iran doesn’t get a free score on this one incident, given their own poor rights record.
That the U.S. is becoming repressive like Iran, is the real story.
It is irrelevant how she would have been treated in Iran. She is an American citizen being abusively held by American authorities in violation of her constitutional rights. There is no excuse for that.
Assuming you are an American citizen, that could have been you.
I wholeheartedly agree. Yes, it’s irrelevant how she would’ve been treated in Iran (where she was treated quite well). She’s a US citizen that’s been abusively held by US authorities in violation of her constitutional rights. There’s no excuse for it.
Many U.S. citizens regularly have their civil rights violated by the authorities with no excuse, sometimes fatally.
Not all Iranian detainees are treated well; that should never be forgotten.
Not all American detainees are treated well – that should especially never be forgotten.
Civil rights shouldn’t be restricted to just those with some political capital, and, Iran doesn’t deserve a free score over this one incident. Rather it should be highlighted how much the U.S. is becoming like places like Iran.
Cough, cough, ever heard of civil forfeiture? Or the problems blacks and poor whites have with being shot by police?
How Ms. Hashemi would have been treated in Iran is completely relevant, considering the diminishing differences between state detention practices in both countries.
Calling attention to the arbitrary powers of U.S. authorities versus Iran is likely what prompted her release. It was just bad PR and broke with the navel-gazing warming pot of we frogs all live to boil in.
The US is a gangster state, a rogue state and someone/various countries need to come together to stop it.
Libya, Iraq, Syria, Venezuela, Iran.
Uncle Sam has run amok.
They probably couldn’t get her to cooperate with a FARA show trial and didn’t have anything to charge her with, so it was shit or get off the pot time.
Oh, no, no! I think they only released her because she agreed to cooperate with them to frame somebody up. Otherwise, they would have just dropped her off at the nearest Saudi consulate; there she would have definitely gotten the Halal treatment.
This one is easy, she is a spy, the US wanted to let her know. They make up some excuse, and let her go. This is not about free speech, or liberty, this is classic international spy games plaid out as a civilian instance.
Yes, and the tooth fairy really cares how you clean your teeth.
Because your comment can not be disproved does not mean it is true.
fair, I guess that response could be used both ways but I am making the connection via Monica Witt, whom is a spy. She had connections to Hashemi, and that’s why they held her. All I can share is factual information; and making some hunch connections based on further research:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/world/middleeast/air-force-monica-elfriede-witt-iran.html
“But by mid-2013, Ms. Witt had become disillusioned with the government — why, exactly, remains a mystery” NYT … !!!!! written by Adam Goldman, zionist American dual passport holder. If it was not so serious, I would be splitting my sides with laughter. The typical journo which the NYT uses by behest of its masters. If he thought a year ago that such a statement was credible, then we have come a long way since then.
The US Washington swamp of elites who are the masters governing the “democratic” US, are so far removed from freedom of speech and democracy … it really is a joke. By world rankings, US is now one of, if not the most, disliked nation on this planet due to its treatment of other nations.
In Britain, where I am from, US is absolutely despised by all with an education. Same goes go for majority of European states. One only has to look at the world to judge the moral standards of the US by the States they support.
This was a quick uptick — I am not going to agree or disagree regarding the NYT as media, in general, does have some agenda or another. Nor will I debate the view of the US from Europe or Asia, Vis-a-vis educated individuals or non-educated individuals since that’s something we can discuss, or even agree on most likely.
However, I want to address the possible misunderstanding that seems to stem from the assumption that I am pro-American policy or tactics, or otherwise approving of this behavior. I, like yourself, are complicit in many wrongdoings by our governments, so please do not try to claim a sense of morality by saying you are a Brit, and therefore looking down on the American government, and trying to align with the rest of Europe, as a European (cough Brexit).
While the sun never sets on the British Empire, your imperialistic handbook also arrived in Plymouth landing for us to draft into a constitution. And when I show my kids, my silver & gold coin collection from over 43 nations in the world, 85% have your queens profile on them. I’m sure they grabbed a spy or two before.
I don’t agree with these policies, or the imperialistic, stasi type behavior,.. but sometimes things are what they are, and even if you don’t morally agree, or have a skewed point of view, or try to look and blame others, I’m pretty sure your Mi5 with Mossad assisted in this, my friend.
Just because you are educated, and woke does not mean that simple things cannot be true. This is a spy game. In-fact I think the journalism angle is news coverup 101 for intelligence agencies.
And with the actions of recent, I wouldn’t be surprised if this even has connections (My opinion only)
My apologies; I may have over reacted to you offering the NYT as a reference. Rather like me offering the BBC or The Guardian. Yes, I despise Washington slightly more than Westminster; they are joined at the hip and up to their neck in wrong doing. There are some like our Buffoon who via BREXIT, think “The Empire” is still alive ! Absolute disaster.
Let me explain; yes, I am British, but have chosen not to live there, a choice made many years ago. I have subsequently lived in numerous countries, (including many which were Colonies at the time), around the world, where I have learnt firsthand situations, sometimes in rather tricky situations. Twice, lived in Palestine which became a ’cause’ after the ‘Free Nelson Mandela’ cause was a success.
We are definitely on the same page; maybe our vocabulary is different ! eg; I do not use “woke”; in fact I have never heard it used in conversation, but I see it written, most often by obnoxious trolls. No reference to you !
Mossad have infiltrated everywhere, but this makes them also vulnerable to be infiltrated !
Things are what they are …… yes, but eyes can be opened if pointed in the right direction; however, a student who does not want to learn, never will. I move on.
Every day is a learning day for me. I have enjoyed reading your comments . Strong debate (polite) is always excellent. One learns from others.
A healthy discussion often finds more common ground than differences when each other is respected. Thank you as well, and yes I understand the hatred of a source being a NYT article. =) Peace and Be Well.
Could be. If so, let us also assume that the Washington Post journalist who was released by Iran 3 years ago and was whining on NPR this week about his treatment was also a spy. Then there are no civilians, everything is a security matter, and government repression is simply prudent professionalism.
What’s so prudent about gov’t repression? There’s nothing prudent at all about this. What happened to Hashemi was a violation of her constitutional rights as a US citizen.
The case of Russian national Maria Butina’s even worse. She’s still being held in solitary confinement in a US prison; yet, she wasn’t charged with any crime. If she’s not being charged with any crime, she must be released and compensated.
Fine points. If all that we care about is security, crazy stuff gets justified. That’s why we must speak up for and defend as a greater priority ideals like human rights and due process.
How The Empire has the gall to talk about democracy etc..etc..
The world knew that Venezuela was next to be toppled by the US and still all the world bodies are acting like paid US vassals or at the best, Zombies.
US adopts the same strategic path; attack with crippling sanctions to alienate the masses who are led to believe that their woes are created by their own government; then pay vast sums and offer promises to the corrupt elite in return for their obedience to Washington.
The Empire will not stop till ALL of the South and Central American countries are “in line”.
The Empire has suffered humiliation in the ME, getting criticism from EU, loosing to China in Africa, so is now trying to create ONE America.
Pssst, it is the communists shooting people in Venezuela, not the US.
Psst, there are no communists in Venezuela — socialists maybe. All those “Commies!!, Commies!!, Commies!!” (like Russia!!, Russia!!, Russia!!) are phantoms, leftovers from a bygone age, floating around in your head. Wake up. It’s a new age with new issues.
Meanwhile, any shooting going on in Venezuela is likely by the opposition. Rowdy, right-wing thug boys — would be “brown shirts” — of the once-dominant-but-now-deposed the petro-thief oligarchy.
The indigenous peoples of Venezuela, once relegated to second (or third or forth) class status, are now brought into full citizenship, in equality of rights under the law, in political participation, and in entitlement to their fair share of the national oil revenue. The old order, unsurprisingly, doesn’t appreciate having their “allowance” trimmed back — neither does the US — thus, the “opposition”, and the threatening American jackboot.
“Psst, there are no communists in Venezuela — socialists maybe”
The Communist Party of Venezuela, which holds six seats in the National Assembly and and is affiliated with the “Great Patriotic Pole” which holds 50 seats in the National Assembly and all the non-vacant seats in the Constituent Assembly, disagrees with you.
Maybe you need to be aware that it is 2019.
Definitions of political thinking/actions and people have changed drastically. There is more real ‘democracy’ in Cuba than most western countries. “Democratic Party” and “Good ‘old’ Party”; Conservatives and Labour; Left and Right: He’s and She’s; the list goes on and on …
Money buys democracy in many “democratic” countries … does not mean that it really is democracy.
McCarthy is long departed.
All very interesting, but not very relevant to whether or not there are any Communists in Venezuela. The Communist Party is the longest continuously operating party in Venezuela and holds seats in both its competing legislative bodies. Presumably there are at least SOME actual communists in the Communist Party or among its voters.
This article misses the story.
She was held as a material witness, until she testified before a grand jury. She did, three times. They released her after she’d testified. This is a “proper” use of the material witness law covering a reluctant witness who might evade testifying if left free to leave.
The story properly is what she was required to testify about, and why they felt she might evade that.
She is an American citizen who comes here often, and came here freely this time, so it is unclear why one would presume she’d suddenly leave never to return.
Of course, what a journalist has to testify about to a grand jury is also news.
Those things are lost in the outrage that she was held without charges, which is not the issue here at all.
At least they didn’t waterboard her. We are a sick nation.
Surprised she was freed at all, not sent to some black site or made to disappear.
Of course Pompass would say it is the fault of the evil Iran regime, which should not be allowed to give its point of view in the pure and truthful USA.