'Washington Post' rips Iran for 'outrageous' conviction of reporter

The conviction of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, held in Iran for more than a year on espionage and other charges, is an "outrageous injustice" that will be immediately appealed, the newspaper's executive editor said Monday.

"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," said Martin Baron, the Post executive editor, in a statement.

Iran judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi announced the verdict on state TV late Sunday but provided no details. It was not immediately clear what charges Rezaian was convicted of or what sentence he faced.

Rezaian, an Iranian-American Post correspondent in Tehran, was detained by the Iranian government, along with his wife and two others on July 22, 2014. The 39-year old Californian, now held in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, has been in an Iranian jail longer than any other Western journalist on charges of espionage and other crimes.

His Iranian wife and journalist, Yeganeh Salehi, and the others detained with him have been released. Rezaian’s lawyer, his family and the Post have vehemently denied the charges.

“We are working with Jason’s family and Iranian counsel to pursue an immediate appeal, and we expect Jason’s lawyer, Leila Ahsan, also to petition for Jason to be released on bail pending a final resolution of the case," Baron said.

Ali Rezaian, Jason’s brother, released a statement in which he called the verdict "just another sad chapter in his 14-month illegal imprisonment and opaque trial process."

Although the trial was closed to the public, Iranian news outlets have revealed that Rezaian was accused of, among other so-called crimes, identifying companies that may have evaded U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said in recent weeks that freedom for Rezaian and two other Americans being held in Iran could be expedited if the U.S. would release Iranians being held here. The other Americans are Amir Hekmati, a former Marine sentenced to death in January 2012 for espionage, and Saeed Abedini, a pastor detained in Iran in 2012 and sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of attempting to undermine the government.

Rouhani wants the U.S. to free Iranians convicted of violating sanctions against Iran.

The U.S. State Department and free speech and media advocacy groups have been among those demanding Rezaian's release. John Hughes, president of the National Press Club, accused Iran of conducting "a sham trial from the beginning... "No nation should be allowed to behave in this manner."

The State Department said Monday that it had no official confirmation of a verdict against Rezaian.

"Unfortunately, this is not surprising given that this process has been opaque and incomprehensible from the start," spokesman John Kirby said. "Regardless of whether there has been a conviction or not, we continue to call for the government of Iran to drop all charges against Jason and release him immediately."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/10/11/iran-issues-reporter-verdict/73771144/