IRAN: Bob Levinson, Parnaz Azima nightmares continue

Sunday marks one year since the disappearance of Florida businessman Robert Levinson during a quick trip to Iran. The former FBI agent went to the Persian Gulf island of Kish to look into contraband cigarette smuggling. He hasn't been seen or heard from since.

His family and friends have organized a campaign to find him. They're holding a vigil in Coral Springs, Fla., on Sunday to mark his disappearance as well as his 60th birthday.

His wife, Christine, traveled to Iran late last year in an unsuccessful quest for information. Iranian authorities say they don't know where he is.

The U.S. State Department again this week reiterated calls for "details of any and all information the Iranian authorities have uncovered" about Levinson:

If Iran is holding Mr. Levinson, we demand that the Iranian authorities notify us to that effect, grant the Swiss consular access, and release him and reunite him with his family.

An Iranian court this week also sentenced journalist Parnaz Azima to a year in prison on a charge of "spreading propaganda against the system." Azima is an Iranian American reporter for the U.S.-funded, Persian-language Radio Farda. It's part of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty group.

Azima finally was allowed to leave Iran while on bail last September. That was nine months after her passport was seized and she was barred from leaving the country.

She had put her 95-year-old mother's home up in lieu of about half a million dollars bail. Azima worries that authorities will now grab the house if she doesn't return to fulfill her sentence. In an interview (below) she says her plight is nothing compared with that of Iranian journalists still inside the country.

Her lawyer, Mohammed Hussein Aghassi, will appeal the decision.

— Borzou Daragahi in Baghdad

Photo: Bob Levinson; credit: Levinson family. Video: Parnaz Azima speaks during an interview placed on the website of her employer, Radio Farda.

Comments

[Shannon]

There is now a myspace page set up to help find this man-http://www.myspace.com/findboblevinson

[Noushin]

Freedom of Speech is something that has been denied in my country since 1979 revolution. We need international help to uncover the human right violation by government of Iran. We have to support the brave journalists who selflessly endanger their lives to speak out for the people.