Washington Post says Iran's conviction of its reporter is 'contemptible'
Americas
Washington Post says Iran’s conviction of its reporter is ‘contemptible’
The Washington Post on Monday slammed the conviction of its reporter Jason Rezaian in Iran as an “outrageous injustice” and said it was working with his family and lawyer to prepare a quick appeal. Rezaian, the newspaper’s Tehran correspondent and a dual Iranian-American citizen, was arrested in July 2014 and accused of spying, along with other crimes against national security. The 39-year-old Rezaian was tried in four hearings behind closed doors, the last of which was held in August. A spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie, said the verdict that had been issued could be appealed.
The guilty verdict announced by Iran in the trial of the Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian represents an outrageous injustice.
Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron
The case is a sensitive issue in Washington’s contentious relationship with Tehran, and it played out as the U.S. and other major powers forged a deal in July with Iran to curb its nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions. A senior Iranian official dismissed in August speculation that Iran was considering a prisoner exchange with the U.S. Iran holds other U.S. citizens, and said at the time that the United States holds some 16 Iranians for bypassing sanctions and around 60 prisoners for other crimes.
[Iran President Hassan] Rouhani’s unwillingness to address this miscarriage of justice calls into question his stated commitment to ensure Iran is a country ruled by law.
Hadi Ghaemi, executive director for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
