Protesters from the Islamic Movement of Nigeria held a rally on Friday to condemn America's illegal detention of Press TV journalist Marzieh Hashemi, calling for her unconditional release.

Iran Press/Africa: In a short address to the rally, senior cleric Shaikh Sunusi AbdulKadir Koki expressed the Movement’s concern over the “very illegal act of kidnapping by a country which claims to be a role model of justice, upholding human rights of citizens and freedom,” a statement by the Movement said.

He also criticized the silence of the international community and human rights groups towards this “great injustice”, despite all the evidence available, Iran Press reported.

The cleric reminded the world that the act is a measure against all journalists, injustice to all women and Muslims and also an abuse of hijab, as she was reportedly forced to remove her head covering even though the authorities knew about her being a Muslim.

The 59-year-old US citizen, who is based in Iran, was detained on Sunday in St. Louis, Missouri, where she had filmed a Black Lives Matter documentary.

A court in the United States has confirmed the arrest of US-born Iranian Press TV news presenter Marzieh Hashemi as a material witness in an unspecified investigation.

She was detained as a “material witness” to a criminal case and no charges were pressed against her, according to Hossein Hashemi, her elder son.

The US law defines a material witness as a person who is presumed to have information about the subject matter of a lawsuit or criminal prosecution, which is critical to the outcome of the case or trial. 101/ 211/202

 

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