German parliament speaker appeals to Iran to release journalist detained before World Cup

AP, Berlin, 4 July 2011 — The speaker of Germany’s parliament is appealing to his Iranian counterpart to release an Iranian female sports journalist arrested a day before she planned to leave for the women’s soccer World Cup in Germany.
Norbert Lammert’s office said Monday he wrote a letter to the president of Iran’s parliament, Ali Larijani, denouncing photographer Maryam Majd’s arrest “not only as an attack on media freedom but also as a striking breach of internationally guaranteed freedom rights and human rights.”
Lammert called on Larijani to shed light on what happened to Majd and urging him to support her swift release.
Iranian officials have made no comment on the arrest.
The foreign ministries in Berlin and London last week also denounced the arrest and called for her release.