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.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Ms. Hashemi, 59, was\u00a0arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on unspecified charges upon arrival at St. Louis Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sunday, her family and friends said.<\/span><\/p>\n At the request of the US Justice Department, Judge Beryl Alaine Howell, the chief district judge\u00a0for the District of Columbia, issued a federal court order<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, approving the partial unsealing of the Press TV journalist\u2019s case, Reuters reported.<\/span><\/p>\n According to the document, since her arrest, the journalist has appeared twice before a US district judge in Washington and has been appointed a lawyer.<\/span><\/p>\n The Associated Press said US government officials expected her to be released immediately after her testimony before a grand jury, but Ms. Hashemi’s elder son, Hossein, was pessimistic about prospects for her immediate release, saying\u00a0it was not clear yet how long his mother\u2019s testimony would last.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hoping that it would be complete and she would be out this week. It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen,\u201d said Hossein\u00a0outside the court on Friday. \u201cSo we’re just waiting to hear more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n However, the Friday\u00a0court order\u00a0did not include any details regarding the criminal case in which she has been named as a material witness.<\/span><\/p>\n The order\u00a0said that Ms. Hashemi \u201chas not been accused of any crime,\u201d but she has said she was handcuffed and shackled and was treated like a criminal. The journalist has also said she had her hijab forcibly removed, and was photographed without her headscarf upon arrival at the prison.<\/span><\/p>\n Reuters further quoted an unnamed US government source as claiming that it appeared the grand jury was examining whether Press TV is a \u201cpropaganda outlet\u201d that failed to register with the Justice Department as an agent of a foreign government.<\/span><\/p>\n The Press TV anchor and producer, who returns periodically to the US to visit her family, had been working in St. Louis on a documentary about Black Lives Matter, an international activist movement originating in the African-American community\u00a0that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n Suzanne Nossel, CEO of the PEN America group promoting literature and free expression, says she is concerned Ms. Hashemi might have been targeted for her documentary for political reasons. \u201cIf there are other grounds for Hashemi’s detention they must be made clear, otherwise she should be released immediately,\u201d Nossel added.<\/span><\/p>\n Hashemi\u2019s attorney, Preston Burton, said, \u201cMarzieh Hashemi\u2019s perseverance has been remarkable in the midst of difficult circumstances, and it is my privilege to represent her. She is heartened by the many expressions of concern about her well-being, and we expect that she will soon return to her family, her home, and her career.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 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. US Federal law allows judges to order witnesses to be arrested if the government can prove that they are material witness.<\/span><\/p>\n Since terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, material witness warrants have been used to detain possible witnesses or suspects.<\/span><\/p>\n The material witness warrants are rarely issued, and Ms. Hashemi\u2019s case is the first such case filed in federal court in the US capital this year. Only two such warrants were issued last year and both are still under seal, The Washington Post<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/span> said in a report on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n The statute generally requires those witnesses to be immediately freed once they are deposed. However, the\u00a0report further cited a 2005 joint analysis conducted by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union showing that the US government had held 70 men as potential material witnesses to that time and nearly half of whom were never called to testify.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The analysis concluded that the use of the warrants was excessive and frequently unlawful since many of the detainees were never questioned by a grand jury or were even denied access to lawyers for extended periods of time, and that most of them were never charged with a crime.<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) \u2013 the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the US \u2013 called on<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>US authorities to \u201ccease violating\u201d Ms. Hashemi\u2019s \u201creligious rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n #FreeMarziehHashemi<\/a> – #CAIR<\/a> Calls on DOJ, FBI to Explain Detention of African-American TV Anchor Marzieh Hashemi, Cease Violating Her Religious Rightshttps:\/\/t.co\/oCaAnejCpK<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/OKvjZzBQuI<\/a><\/p>\n — CAIR National (@CAIRNational) January 18, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n‘Remarkable perseverance’<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What is material witness?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
US violating Hasehmi\u2019s religious rights: CAIR<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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