TEHRAN: Dozens of women staged a protest in Tehran on Sunday calling for the release of an Iranian state TV journalist arrested in the United States.
The demonstrators waved pictures of Marzieh Hashemi at the rally in front of the Swiss Embassy which handles US interests in the Islamic republic. US-born Hashemi, who works for Iran's English-language Press TV, was held on arrival at St Louis Lambert International Airport on January 13, according to family and friends cited by Press TV.
Hashemi, a Muslim convert who changed her name from Melanie Franklin, had reportedly been visiting her ill brother and other family members. A US court on Friday confirmed the arrest, saying her testimony is required over an unspecified case but that she is not accused of a crime.
At a hearing in Washington, a judge ordered the partial unsealing of an order on Hashemi. It said that Hashemi was arrested on "a material arrest warrant" and would be let go after she gave testimony to a grand jury investigating unspecified "violations of US criminal law".
The protesters in Tehran, including students and female members of the paramilitary Basij militia, shouted slogans such as "we are all Marzieh" and carried posters with the hashtag #FreeMarziehHashemi.
Storm warnings for high winds, heavy rain and hail also were issued by the National Weather Service on Sunday
The Public and Commercial Services union said more than 300 members of staff would stop working early on Monday
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