Iranian embassy rejects Berlin's claims on detained journalists

Berlin, Dec 28, IRNA -- The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran here Monday dismissed claims by a German foreign ministry spokesman who said that Iranian authorities had not allowed the families of two detained German journalists to meet them.

The embassy stressed the families of the two detained German journalists refused to travel to Tabriz to meet them there.

It also rejected the statements by German foreign ministry spokesperson Stefan Bredohl who told media representatives that Iran's ambassador to Germany was summoned to the ministry over the affair Monday morning.

The embassy made clear that the Iranian envoy's meeting at the foreign ministry was planned in advance and that there was no talk about any summoning whatsoever.

Bredohl claimed that the Iranian ambassador had been called in to the ministry to express its displeasure that it had not been possible for the pair - a reporter and a photographer for mass tabloid Bild am Sonntag - to receive visits from family members who had travelled to Tehran over Christmas.

The journalists - who had entered Iran on tourist visas - were arrested on October 10 when they sought to interview the son and lawyer of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, a woman convicted of helping to murder her husband.

Bild am Sonntag reported last week that the mother of the photographer and the reporter's sister travelled to Tehran to visit their relatives./end