Formerly imprisoned Northwestern alumna Roxana Saberi (Medill ’99) was given the Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism at the Medill convocation Saturday.
Saberi, who was imprisoned by Iranian authorities in January and released in May, gave a short speech at the ceremony after being introduced by Medill Dean John Lavine. Her story made headlines around the world, sparking protests and even a hunger strike organized by NU students and faculty members.
“My parents gradually started to tell me about the kinds of support I was getting around the world from people who knew and people who didn’t know me,” Saberi said in the speech. “Knowing that I had this support…gave me a lot of courage.”
Saberi also described her time in prison, including a period in which she was held in solitary confinement, and a false confession she gave Iranian authorities who promised her freedom in exchange.
“During those first few weeks…I sank to my lowest levels,” she said. “And so I was willing to pay almost any price for my freedom, and I told some very bad lies just so I could be free….I said I was a spy for the United States.”
After a few weeks, Saberi was put in another jail cell, this time with other women.
“I gained a bit of courage (there),” she said. “It was because of them…because they’re standing up for principles they believe in: Freedom of speech, assembly and belief.”
Eventually she retracted her confession, and in a trial in April she was sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage. Her sentence was shortened to two years on appeal, and she was released May 11.
While in Iran, Saberi worked for several news outlets like the British Broadcasting Corporation, Fox News, and National Public Radio. This was the first time that the medal-given annually to a journalist or group of journalists who show, “moral, ethical or physical courage in the pursuit of a story,” according to the Medill Web site-was awarded twice in one year.
After Saberi’s release, Lavine brought up the idea, according to Medill Professor Jack Doppelt. Doppelt, who taught Saberi while she was a graduate student, said her experience and speech at the convocation had a significant impact on the audience.
“It was a reminder to graduating seniors…about how important the craft of journalism really is,” he said. “It isn’t just about getting a job…It’s about opening up societies.”
Some recent graduates at the convocation said Saberi spoke openly about her time in prison.
“She was speaking candidly and honestly about her experience, and even admitted to the some of the mistakes she made, which I thought took a lot of guts,” said Daniel Head (Medill ’09).
Saberi also called attention to the protests and detentions in Iran since the presidential election two weeks ago. As of Wednesday, at least 23 journalists have been arrested since the election, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, a New York-based human rights organization. Hundreds of unofficial chroniclers and protestors have also been arrested, and Saberi told of their plight.
“(There) are also those citizen journalists…those ordinary Iranians who are taking video with their cell phones and giving eyewitness accounts to the world even though they face risks: arrests, injury, even worse.”
