Roxana Saberi Kept Her Hopes Up in an Iranian Prison For 100 Days Singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" to Herself

23 May 2009

Iranian-American journalist Roxanna Saberi is now back in the United States after spending 100 days in an Iranian prison for alleged spying for the United States.  Her plane touched down at Washington's Dulles International Airport Friday where she was greeted by a crowd of jubilant supporters.

After thanking all of the people who supported her while she was in prison and those who helped secure her release including President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Roxana Saberi shared proudly her secret for keeping her hopes up in prison — singing to herself the Star-Spangled Banner. 

For somebody who at one point in her incarceration faced the death sentence as a convicted spy for the United States and staged a hunger strike to dramatize her innocence, Saberi's remarks indicate the extent of her patriotic fervor. 

Here's Roxana Saberi's statement expressing gratitude to America and to people around the world who prayed and worked for her release:

I'm very happy to be back home in the U.S.  I wish I could personally thank all those who supported me during my 100 days in prison. 

The American people, President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, the North Dakota Congressional delegation, Senators Conrad and Dorgan and Congressman Pomeroy, North Dakota Governor Hoeven and other North Dakota officials.  

The EU, the European Union, the Japanese and Swiss governments  and the Swiss embassy in Tehran were also very helpful.  I want to thank human rights organizations and my fellow journalists ... those who helped to keep my story alive and pushed for my release.  

I'm also very grateful to my fellow citizens and others around the world including many people in Iran who supported my family and me during this time. 

One thing that kept me going when I was prison was singing the national anthem to myself and it may sound corny but I'm so happy to be back home in the land of the free.  Thank you.  

Here are the CNN video clips of Roxana Saberi's grateful, joyful homecoming :

More on Roxana Saberi in one of my earlier posts, Journalist Roxana Saberi Freed from Iranian Prison, Reunited with Her Family and Set to Go Back Home to the U.S.

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Journalist Roxana Saberi Freed from Iranian Prison, Reunited with Her Family and Set to Go Back Home to the U.S.

12 May 2009   12:43am, Manila time

An Iranian court has cut short the eight-year prison sentence of erstwhile jailed female journalist Roxana Saberi  and ordered her freed on a suspended two-year sentence.  

This was the breakthrough news announced to the world by her lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, through Associated Press.  Roxana was immediately reunited with her parents, Reza and Akiko Saberi, who flew from the United States to Iran several weeks ago to personally plead for the release of their daughter. 

Friends and neighbors of Saberi in Fargo, North Dakota, rejoiced upon hearing news of her release. They are excited to welcome her once she returns with her parents to the United States within a few days.

The thirty-two year old Roxana Saberi who holds dual Iranian-American citizenship was in jail for four months.  She was convicted of spying for the United States.  Recently, she mounted a defiant hunger strike but had to end it after two weeks for health reasons. Here's an MSNBC video on Roxana Saberi:

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Here's more information on her release from AP and from MSNBC.

Saberi's release is an auspicious moment for US-Iran relations and may indicate a willingness on the part of the Iranian government to explore a possible thawing of relationship between the two countries in response to overtures by the Obama administration.

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