Free: Roxana Saberi

From the LA Times Blog: Babylon & Beyond:

Thin and pale, but nonetheless overjoyed, Roxana Saberi today made her first public appearance since her release from prison Monday after more than three months in detention. Saberi's apparently free to leave Iran for the U.S. But the after-effects of the Iranian American journalist's arrest and stunning release from prison will continue.

Some analysts abroad speculated that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad secured Saberi's release to score points ahead of June 12 presidential elections. But his calls for the judiciary to review the case more likely were an effort at damage control meant to prevent him from losing potential supporters.

Roxana Saberi was lucky - she did not suffer the fate of Zahra Kazemi.