This year already, 19 individuals have been killed around the world because of their work as journalists. We need to recognize the essential role journalists play in keeping us informed and in protecting our freedoms.
As the international community continues to focus its attention on Tehran's nuclear activities, the efforts of the Iranian student movement are being widely ignored.
For Obama, who already has shown his desire to talk to Iranian leaders, there is no foreign policy lesson more helpful than that of Roxana Saberi's case of arrest and release.
Roxana Saberi's story should be the beginning of another story, and that is the US government's speaking up about human rights atrocities in all parts of the world, rather than just Darfur.
As the Saberi case ends on a high note, we shouldn't forget the hundreds of other journalists who bravely continue to exercise their right in expressing themselves despite this brutal regime.
The US has to come to the realization that it's impossible to take three Iranian diplomats hostage for almost two years, no matter what you call them, and then expect the Iranian government to release Roxana Saberi.
Because of my friendship with Laura Ling specifically, I have spent hours at a time over the last month of her captivity agonizing over her predicament.
Why is this happening to Saberi? Most analyst agree that she has become a pawn in the political games between the US and Iran, though the explanations for Tehran's actions differ.
President Obama caused a media frenzy when he not only shook hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but he smiled at him. A photo of this spec...
"Naturally after hearing the verdict, [Roxana's] psychological condition was not good. I gave her assurances and I hope to see the verdict changed during appeal."
Government spies are everywhere and it doesn't take much to get arrested in Iran, especially if you have a dual nationality. Iranian journalists pay a high price if they step out of line.
The fact that the Iranian government consistently comes up with news of the arrest of a "spy", show a great amount of incompetency and desperation in its intelligence services.
How could President Obama speak up for humane treatment of foreign detainees at Guantanamo, but keep silent on the torture and mistreatment of Americans in Iran's Guantanamo?
