Former Seattle P-I reporter Dorothy Parvaz,who was detained in Syria after flying to the country April 29 and later detained in Iran, was freed On Tuesday night and is in Doha, Qatar. Parvaz described her experience in an interview with her current employer, Al Jazeera.
"I just got off the phone with Dorothy. She is safe in Doha and will be coming to Vancouver B.C. soon," wrote her fiance Todd Barker, on the Free Dorothy Parvaz Facebook page Tuesday night. "We can't wait to see her. She said that she was treated well in Iran. She sounded positive and grateful for the support -- but a little embarrassed. We are very thankful to Iranian authorities for her release and good treatment."
Paravaz, who now works for Al-Jazeera English, went to Syria on assignment April 29, and no one had heard from her until Tuesday.
The Syrian government said they had detained her and later said she was deported to Iran. Parvaz, who was born in Iran, has Iranian, U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She used her Iranian passport to try to enter Syria.
The Seattle Times reported that Barker got a call from Parvaz at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. He said the first words she said to him were: "I'm so sorry." He said she should arrive in Vancouver, B.C., where her family lives, on Wednesday or Thursday.
