WASHINGTON: A US court on Friday confirmed the arrest of a journalist for Iranian television, saying her testimony is required over an unspecified case but that she is not accused of a crime.
Iran has protested the arrest of Marzieh Hashemi, who was born in the United States and is a presenter on Iran’s English-language Press TV, amid high tensions between the two countries.
At a hearing in Washington, Beryl Howell, the chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, ordered the partial unsealing of an order on Hashemi, referred to by her former name of Melanie Franklin.
The order said that Hashemi was arrested on “a material arrest warrant” in a case in Washington.
She will be released immediately after the completion of her testimony to a grand jury investigating unspecified “violations of US criminal law.”
“Franklin has been appointed an attorney and has not been accused of any crime,” it said.
Hashemi married an Iranian man and converted to Islam. She has produced documentaries critical of US policy in the Middle East and the country’s treatment of Muslims and African Americans.
She was arrested Sunday at the St. Louis airport on a visit to see an ailing family member, Press TV said.
Iran, generally on the receiving end of criticism by the United States on press freedom and human rights, pledged to defend Hashemi, who it considers an Iranian citizen due to her marriage.
“The arrest of Marzieh Hashemi by America is an unacceptable political act that tramples on freedom of speech,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Wednesday.
The New York-based Committee to Protest Journalists voiced concern earlier Friday about the arrest, saying that the United States needed to disclose the reason for her arrest.
The advocacy group said that Iran is detaining at least eight journalists over their work.
In one of the most notorious cases, Iran detained Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian for 544 days before he was freed as part of a reconciliation deal with President Barack Obama’s administration.
US confirms holding Iran-based journalist, no crime alleged
US confirms holding Iran-based journalist, no crime alleged
- Marzieh Hashemi was arrested Sunday at the St. Louis airport on a visit to see an ailing family member, Press TV said
Apple, Google offer app store changes under new UK rules
LONDON: Apple and Google have pledged changes to ensure fairness in their app stores, the UK competition watchdog said Tuesday, describing it as “first steps” under its tougher regulation of technology giants.
The Competition and Markets Authority placed the two companies under “strategic market status” last year, giving it powers to impose stricter rules on their mobile platforms.
Apple and Google have submitted packages of commitments to improve fairness and transparency in their app stores, which the CMA is now consulting market participants on.
The proposals cover data collection, how apps are reviewed and ranked and improved access to their mobile operating systems.
They aim to prevent Apple and Google from giving priority to their own apps and to ensure businesses receive fairer terms for delivering apps to customers, including better access to tools to compete with services like the Apple digital wallet.
“These are important first steps while we continue to work on a broad range of additional measures to improve Apple and Google’s app store services in the UK,” said CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell.
The commitments mark the first changes proposed by US tech giants in response to the UK’s digital markets regulation, which came into force last year.
The UK framework is similar to a tech competition law from the European Union, the Digital Markets Act, which carries the potential for hefty financial penalties.
“The commitments announced today allow Apple to continue advancing important privacy and security innovations for users and great opportunities for developers,” an Apple spokesperson said.
The CMA in October found that Apple and Google held an “effective duopoly,” with around 90 to 100 percent of UK mobile services running on their platforms.
A Google spokesperson said existing practices in its Play online store are “fair, objective and transparent.”
“We welcome the opportunity to resolve the CMA’s concerns collaboratively,” they added.
The changes are set to take effect in April, subject to the outcome of a market consultation.
