Watchdog

The father of a U.S. journalist jailed in Iran says he was able to meet his daughter in Tehran today and that she is feeling better than he expected.

Reza Saberi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that his daughter, Roxana, who is a dual U.S. and Iranian citizen, is being held in a cell in Tehran's Evin prison with three other inmates.

He said she has been given a television set and a few books.

Saberi’s parents, who live in the United States, traveled to Iran last weekend in the hope of seeing her.

Saberi, who reported as a free-lancer for National Public Radio and several other Western media organizations, has been in jail in Iran since late January.

She is accused of working in Iran after the expiry of her accreditation. The United States has expressed concern over her detention in Iran and called on Tehran to release her.

(by Golnaz Esfandiari)

An opposition activist in Georgia is recovering after being severely beaten by unknown attackers.

Kakha Khozelishvili was attacked on April 5 by several masked assailants, who also sicced dogs on Khozelishvili, according to RFE/RL's correspondent in Tbilisi.

Khozelishvili is an active member of the Democratic Movement-United Georgia party led by the former parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze.

An aide to Burjanadze, Eliso Khachapuridze, told RFE/RL that the assailants also warned Khozelishvili that they would kill his daughter.

According to Khachapuridze, her party considers the attack as another attempt to impose pressure on the opposition before its planned mass actions of protest on April 9.

Georgia's Interior Ministry told RFE/RL that they have not received any official complaint from Khozelishvili.

Meanwhile, Burjanadze called Georgian officials "completely inhuman."