You're reading: German celebrities to Iran: release journalists

BERLIN — German politicians, businessmen and sports celebrities have demanded the release of two German journalists who were detained in Iran in October after they interviewed a woman sentenced to death.

Weekly Bild am Sonntag on Sunday published 12 pages with quotes and photos of 100 celebrities demanding the release of the paper’s two reporters. They include German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle as well as the head of Deutsche Bank, Joseph Ackermann and Daimler’s CEO Dieter Zetsche, who wrote that "a country that wants to be respected by the world needs to respect press freedom."

Current and former German sportsmen, including Michael Schumacher, Philipp Lahm, Boris Becker and Franz Beckenbauer, also signed the appeal.