Jailed U.S.-Iranian reporter eating again

By Fredrik Dahl

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Jailed Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi has ended her hunger strike in a Tehran prison after refusing food for two weeks, her father said on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old started eating again on Monday after beginning a hunger strike on April 21 in protest against her eight-year jail sentence on charges of spying for the United States, her father Reza Saberi told Reuters.

Reza Saberi, who said on Tuesday his daughter was "very weak," said he and others had urged her to start eating again after she only consumed two dates and some water with a little sugar during her 14-day fast.

"She has stopped her hunger strike ... We are very relieved and happy that she stopped. We were very worried about her health," he said.

He was speaking a day after a judiciary spokesman said an Iranian court would hold a hearing next week on the freelance reporter's appeal against her sentence, imposed on April 18.

The Islamic Republic's judiciary has denied that Saberi, who is held in Tehran's Evin jail, was on hunger strike and said she was in good health.

Her case could complicate Washington's efforts towards reconciliation with Iran after three decades of mutual mistrust.

The two countries are locked in a dispute over nuclear work the West fears is aimed at making bombs, which Tehran denies.

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, who has offered a new engagement with Iran if it "unclenches its fist," says the espionage charges against Saberi are baseless and has demanded her release.

"FAIR HEARING"

U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said on Tuesday the United States was concerned about Saberi's health following the hunger strike reports. "It's very troubling. And we're working hard to try to do what we can," he said in Washington.

Saberi's lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi has expressed optimism she will be acquitted or her sentence reduced after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the judiciary last month to ensure she has full legal rights to defend herself.

Reza Saberi said he expected the appeal court session to be held on Tuesday. The judiciary says the hearing will be closed to the public.

A citizen of both the United States and Iran, Saberi was arrested in late January for working in Iran after her press credentials had expired in 2006.

The U.S.-born journalist, who has reported for the BBC and the U.S. National Public Radio, was later charged with espionage.

Media watchdog Reporters without Borders called for Saberi's appeal to be given "a fair hearing and not any sham proceedings" and said Iran should free her on bail pending the session.

The Paris-based group last month said seven journalists were currently imprisoned in Iran, which it said was ranked 166th out of 173 countries in its latest press freedom index.

Iran denies Western allegations it is seeking to stifle dissenting voices. The government says it welcomes constructive criticism and upholds the principle of free speech.

(Editing by Samia Nakhoul )