Iran seeks Bild apology over reporter case

Acting Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said on Saturday an apology from the German publisher Axel Springer AG for which the two journalists detained in Tabriz work could be helpful in their case.

Talking to the Hamburg-based Der Spiegel, Salehi called on the company to admit it had made a mistake when it sent the reporters to Iran on a tourist visa in violation of that Iranian laws.

The journalists were arrested on October 10 when they sought to interview the son and lawyer of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, a woman condemned to capital punishment.

The Iranian official added Axel Springer should apologize for distorting events, and ensure it would not occur again.

It could be a helpful gesture if the publisher and chief editors recognized they made a mistake, and apologize for it, Salehi said.

“They must allow judicial proceedings to run in a fair and fast pace. In Iran the three branches of powers are independent from one another,” Salehi added.

Managers of Axel Springer and the editor of the Sunday daily Bild am Sonntag in a press statement welcomed Salehi’s remarks.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle too welcomed Salehi’s remarks and thanked him for providing the ground for a reunion between the two reporters and their relatives.

Meanwhile, Tabriz province’s prosecutor general has said investigations into the case were completing. Nousa Khalilollahi said the two detainees have already admitted to violation of IRI regulations several times.

He said due decisions would be made upon the case after the completion of investigations.

The two German nationals have intended to interview the son of Sakineh Ashtiani in Tabriz in the guise of reporters. They were detained for violation of the Iranian laws.

Ashtiani has declared she would file a suit against the two reporters.