Court hears reporter's appeal

TEHERAN: An Iranian court heard the appeal of US-born journalist Roxana Saberi against her eight-year jail sentence for espionage yesterday and her lawyer said he was optimistic it would be fundamentally changed.

Lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi said the appeals court had ended a one-day session and would issue its verdict in the coming days. Saberi was convicted by a lower court on April 18 of spying for the United States, Iran's arch-foe.

He said he had asked for his 32-year-old client, who looked thin and tired when she entered the court room, to be released on bail but the court had yet to decide on the request.