Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been convicted of involvement in acts of espionage, has been released from Tehran's Evin prison.

The release came just one day after a Tehran court of appeals reduced her eight-year jail sentence to a two-year suspended term, a Press TV correspondent reported from Evin Prison on Monday.

Press TV contacted officials close to the case and learned that the suspended sentence will be automatically abolished if Saberi shows no unlawful conduct in the next five years.

Saberi, 32, is a freelance journalist who was initially detained in late January for working in Iran after her press credentials had expired.

She was later sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for the government of the United States.

However, earlier on Sunday Saberi's lawyer expressed optimism about the verdict after her case was heard in a Tehran court of appeals.

"I am optimistic that fundamental changes would be made to the sentence," Roxana's lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, was quoted by IRNA as saying on Sunday. "The verdict is to be issued this coming week."

Saleh Nikbakht, another one of Saberi's lawyers, on Monday said, "The verdict of the previous court has been cancelled. Her punishment has been changed to a suspended two-year sentence and she will be out of prison today."

Saberi has lived in Iran for six years and has reported as a freelancer for the BBC and National Public Radio and other media outlets.

American officials, including President Barack Obama, had dismissed the charges against her as baseless and repeatedly called on Iranian authorities to release Roxana.

"She is an American citizen, and I have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any sort of espionage," said the US president.

Following the calls, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and judiciary officials in the country urged the court to review Saberi's case with fairness and ensure the administration of justice.

CS/HGH