Jason Rezaian Verdict: Washington Post Journalist Sentenced by Iranian Court, Will US Act?
A Washington Post reporter has been jailed in Iran and convicted on charges of espionage in a trial that ended two months ago.
According to the paper, news correspondent Jason Rezaian has been imprisoned in Tehran for 447 days. News of Rezaian's guilty conviction two months ago was reported by Iranian State television on Sunday.
39-year-old Rezaian, who is a dual American-Iranian citizen, has been accused of passing confidential information to the United States.
"He began to identify individuals and companies that violated sanctions and were cooperating with Iran," the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network reported, according to The New York Times. "The information that Rezaian gave to the Americans had led many Iranian and international businessmen and companies to be included in America's sanctions list."
President Hassan Rouhani and other Iranian leaders have suggested the possibility of a prisoner swap, calling for the release of Iranian citizens who have been convicted of sanctions violations. Similar deals have been made in the past.
Rezaian's brother Ali Rezaian appealed to the United Nations human rights panel to aid in his brother's release. He said Rezaian was a victim of inhumane treatment, having been subjected to harsh interrogation and long bouts of solitary confinement. Rezaian was also denied access to a lawyer or his family for several months after his arrest.
Ali and other members of Rezaian's family visited the courthouse Monday in search of clarification on the verdict, but were turned away.
"Our mother, Jason's wife and Jason's lawyer went to court today to seek clarification on any verdict in his case," Ali said in a statement. "In just the latest cruel step in the outrageous legal process that Jason has been subjected to since his incarceration over 14 months ago, they were provided no further information under the guise of a translator not being available. As a consequence, at this point we still have no clarity regarding Jason's fate."
Washington Post executive editor Martin Baron strongly criticized the guilty verdict.
"Iran has behaved unconscionably throughout this case, but never more so than with this indefensible decision by a Revolutionary Court to convict an innocent journalist of serious crimes after a proceeding that unfolded in secret, with no evidence whatsoever of any wrongdoing," Baron said.
The exact charges against Rezaian remain unknown, as does the sentence he may now have recieved.
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