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Jason Rezaian of Washington Post Said to Be Sentenced to Prison Jason Rezaian of Washington Post Said to Be Sentenced to Prison
(about 5 hours later)
A spokesman for the Iranian judiciary announced on Sunday that the jailed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian had been sentenced to prison, according to an Iranian news agency. A spokesman for the Iranian judiciary announced on Sunday that the jailed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian had been sentenced to prison, an Iranian news agency reported.
The announcement, as with much the Iranian authorities have said about Mr. Rezaian’s case since his arrest last year, was vague, and it contained no information about the length of his prison term.The announcement, as with much the Iranian authorities have said about Mr. Rezaian’s case since his arrest last year, was vague, and it contained no information about the length of his prison term.
“I cannot disclose the details of the sentence. I will say in short that he has been sentenced to imprisonment,” Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the judiciary spokesman, said during a news conference, according to the Iranian Students News Agency. He added that the verdict was not final, apparently referring to the possibility of an appeal. “I cannot disclose the details of the sentence. I will say in short that he has been sentenced to imprisonment,” Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, the judiciary spokesman, said during a news conference, according to the Iranian Students News Agency. He added that the verdict was not final, apparently referring to the possibility of an appeal.
Mr. Rezaian’s lawyer, Leila Ahsan, told The Associated Press that she had not been given any details about the sentencing — or even the verdict. Mr. Rezaian’s lawyer, Leila Ahsan, told The Associated Press that she had not been given any information about the sentencing — or even the verdict.
Mr. Rezaian, 39, a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, was The Post’s bureau chief in Tehran in July 2014 when the authorities raided his apartment and arrested him. He was accused of “collaborating with hostile governments” and disseminating “propaganda against the establishment,” and charged with crimes including espionage, The Post reported last April, citing his lawyer. He was convicted in October after a trial that was closed to the public. His family said that the opacity of the verdict followed “an unconscionable pattern by Iranian authorities of silence, obfuscation, delay and a total lack of adherence to international law, as well as Iranian law.” “My brother is an innocent man and a well-respected journalist,” Ali Rezaian, the journalist’s brother, said in a statement on Sunday. “As our family gathers for Thanksgiving, we remain hopeful that Jason will soon be reunited with us.”
The Post reported last December that Mr. Rezaian had been kept in “near-total isolation” in Evin Prison in Tehran, sleeping on the hard floor of a cell and facing physical and psychological deterioration. Jason Rezaian, 39, a California native and dual citizen of the United States and Iran, was The Post’s bureau chief in Tehran in July 2014 when the authorities raided his apartment and arrested him. He was charged with spying on Iran’s nuclear program and gathering information about violations of international sanctions against Iran.
In a statement on Sunday, the newspaper said that it was “aware of the reports” but knew nothing more. “Every day that Jason is in prison is an injustice. He has done nothing wrong,” the newspaper’s foreign editor, Douglas Jehl, said in the statement. “Even after keeping Jason in prison 487 days so far, Iran has produced no evidence of wrongdoing. His trial and sentence are a sham, and he should be released immediately.” “He began to identify individuals and companies that violated sanctions and were cooperating with Iran,” an Iranian television station said on its website. “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.”
He was convicted in October after a trial that was closed to the public.
Mr. Rezaian has been held at Evin Prison in Tehran. Last December, Ali Rezaian said that his brother had had health problems while in custody, including high blood pressure, an eye infection and back pain.
In a Twitter post on Sunday, Martin Baron, The Post’s executive editor, wrote: “No details. Lawyer told nothing. Opaque system persists in its cruelty.”
In a statement released earlier on Sunday, the newspaper said that it was “aware of the reports” but knew nothing more. “Every day that Jason is in prison is an injustice. He has done nothing wrong,” the newspaper’s foreign editor, Douglas Jehl, said in the statement. “Even after keeping Jason in prison 487 days so far, Iran has produced no evidence of wrongdoing. His trial and sentence are a sham, and he should be released immediately.”
In New York, Sherif Mansour, the Middle East and North Africa program coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists, wrote, “By withholding information about the verdict and sentence, the Iranian government shows that its pursuit of Jason Rezaian on bogus espionage charges is nothing but a facade to prolong his unjust imprisonment.”