Roxana Saberi, 31, has been detained in Iran for buying a bottle of wine. The United States journalist's father has not heard from his daughter since a brief phone call on February 10. She had already been in detention for ten days at that point.
The Iranian government has not confirmed Saberi's arrest. On Sunday officials from the U.S. state department were looking into an AP request for information about her arrest.
Saberi is a freelance journalist reporting for the National Public Radio. She has resided in Iran for the past six years.
Her father says that the last contact with his daughter was a phone call followed within minutes by a second call telling him not to do anything because they were going to release her in ten days.
She said that she had been arrested for purchasing wine which is illegal in Iran.
Iran is known for arresting journalists and suppressing freedom of speech. Several Iranian-Americans have been detained in the past few years for allegedly attempting to overthrow the Islamic regime.
Saberi had some experiences in the past with the government. Last year her press credentials were revoked. She had been allowed though to report short news pieces.
Saberi's father said that his daughter was writting a book on Iran with plans to return to the States this year.
Roxana Saberi was Miss North Dakota in 1997. She graduated with degrees in mass communication and French from Concordia College.
Boston.com reports:
"We haven't heard anything," he said. The family decided to go public, he said, "because we wanted to get some information."
