Press -TV�Massive rallies have been held in many cities around the world to protest against the US legal system, in the wake of the ten-day imprisonment of Press TV anchor Marzieh Hashemi, who had traveled to the United States to visit her family.

In the Australian city of Melbourne on Friday, protesters condemned the illegal detention of the Press TV journalist by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

They also slammed US authorities for forcibly removing Hashemi's Hijab (the head covering for Muslim women) in custody.

People also gathered outside the US embassy in London, the United Kingdom, to express their anger at the US legal system.

The protesters chanted slogans in support of Hashemi and carried placards that read, "Journalism is not a crime."

Speaking to Press TV, Ahmed Haneef, an Islamic cleric, said, "I think Marzieh Hashemi is a symbol. [She is] a symbol of the dangerous situation Muslims are in or non-Muslims are in not only in the United States but in many countries of the world where we have been victims of Islamophobia."

He criticized the "demonization and the criminalization" of people just because they believe in a particular religion or just because they oppose the United States' efforts to dominate the world.

Pakistanis also held similar rallies in the city of Karachi. They voiced solidarity with the Press TV anchorwoman.