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Short Round Asks Court to Reconsider Spy Case
TEHRAN — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a rare effort to intervene in the justice system, urged Tehran’s chief prosecutor on Sunday to fairly examine the cases of an Iranian-American journalist and an Iranian-Canadian blogger. The Iranian-American journalist, Roxana Saberi, has been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for Washington, her lawyer reported Saturday. The other detainee is Hossein Derakhshan, a blogger who has been jailed since November without any official charges.
Beginning to figure out that holding westerners on trumped-up charges doesn't help in the long run? Talk to Kimmie, he's been doing this a while ...
Mr. Ahmadinejad, who will be attending an international conference on racism on Monday and is expected to seek re-election in June, may be seeking to cast himself as a defender of human rights, analysts said. He may also be trying to prevent radical forces from sabotaging a possible reconciliation between Iran and the United States.

President Obama, speaking at a news conference in Trinidad on Sunday, said he was “gravely concerned” about Ms. Saberi’s safety and called for her release. “She is an American citizen, and I have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any sort of espionage,” Mr. Obama said, adding that the United States would ask Iran for “a proper disposition of this case.”

In Mr. Ahmadinejad’s letter, he urged Tehran’s prosecutor general, Saeed Mortazavi, to examine the cases fairly, the official IRNA news agency reported. Although the court’s workings are secret, Mr. Mortazavi, known as a hard-line conservative, would be the one to at least oversee the prosecution of both cases.

The letter was written by the president’s chief of staff, Abdolreza Sheikholeslami, on behalf of the president, who left Tehran for Geneva on Sunday to attend the United Nations conference on racism. “At the president’s insistence, you must do what is needed to secure justice and fairness in examining these charges,” the letter said, IRNA reported. “Take care that the defendants have all the legal freedoms and rights to defend themselves against the charges and none of their rights are violated.”
Sounds more like providing cover than demanding justice, huh ...
Iran’s president has no direct authority over the courts — the Constitution prescribes separation of powers — and it was not clear what effect his letter would have. Analysts here suggested the letter’s intent may have been to stake out a political position before the June 12 election, where he would face liberal opposition and may want to inoculate himself against criticism on the human rights front.
Posted by: Steve White 2009-04-20
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=268015