The US “strongly condemns” the ten-year prison sentence against an Iranian-American journalist

MADRID Dec. 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United States Government has “strongly condemned” the sentence of a Tehran court to ten years in prison against the Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, accused of “cooperating” with Washington against the national security of Iran.

“We call for their immediate release and the release of all political prisoners in Iran,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, in a press conference in which he reminded his fellow citizens of the travel warning issued “since years ago” by his office about the risk of kidnapping to those who travel to Iranian territory.

The spokesman for US diplomacy has also highlighted that the Iranian government has “repeatedly suppressed press freedom through threats, intimidation, arrests, forced confessions and the use of violence against journalists in Iran.”

Valizadeh was a journalist for the Farsi-language service of the Voice of America (VOA), a news agency funded by the United States government. He also worked for Radio Farda, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) station, overseen by the US agency for global media.