Iran Accuses Detained US Student Of Security Offense

TEHRAN-Iranian-U.S. student Esha Momeni, who has been held behind bars in Tehran since mid-October, is accused of a security offense in the Islamic republic, the judiciary spokesman said Tuesday."Her accusation is an offense against (national) security. Her file is at the preliminary stage of investigation," Alireza Jamshidi said at a weekly press briefing.He said Momeni was being held at Tehran's Evin prison.Last month, her lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah told AFP that she was arrested on Oct. 15 for her involvement with a women's rights equality campaign.Momeni, a graduate student at the Northridge campus of California State University, had traveled to Iran to carry out research for her thesis on women's rights, the lawyer said.He said she holds both Iranian and U.S. nationality.Over the past year Iran has arrested several women involved with a One-Million-Signature campaign, launched two years ago to call for changes to Iranian laws deemed discriminatory to women.The U.S. has asked Switzerland, which represents U.S. interests in Tehran, to find out more about Momeni.Iran does not recognize dual nationality and has in the past called the arrest of U.S.-Iranian citizens an internal matter.In May 2007, US-Iranian academics Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh and California-based peace activist Ali Shakeri were arrested and held for more than 100 days, also on suspicion of causing harm to national security.
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As in the days of Noah....