‘Washington Post’ reporter Jason Rezaian convicted in Iran

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who has been detained for more than a year on charges including espionage, has been convicted in Iran.

Spokesman for the Iranian judiciary Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi told state television: "He has been convicted, but I don't have the verdict's details."

Mr Ejehi said Mr Rezaian and his lawyer are eligible to appeal the conviction within 20 days.

The Washington Post denounced the conviction of the newspaper’s American-born Tehran correspondent as an “outrageous injustice” and urged Iran’s leaders to overturn it.

Mr Rezaian was detained with his wife, who is a journalist for The National newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, and two photojournalists on July 22nd, 2014. All were later released except Mr Rezaian.

Mr Rezaian, the Washington Post’s Tehran bureau chief since 2012, has dual Iranian-American nationality. Iran does not recognise dual nationality for its citizens.

Washington Post executive editor Martin Baron said the paper, Mr Rezaian's family and his lawyer in Iran were pursuing an appeal. He said no sentence for Mr Rezaian had been announced.

“The guilty verdict announced by Iran in the trial of the Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian represents an outrageous injustice,” Mr Baron said.

“Iran has behaved unconscionably throughout this case . . . The contemptible end to this ‘judicial process’ leaves Iran’s senior leaders with an obligation to right this grievous wrong.“

The case has been a sensitive issue for Washington and Tehran and Post officials said Mr Rezaian had been used as a bargaining chip.

Iran had accused Mr Rezaian (39) of collecting confidential information and giving it to hostile governments, writing a letter to US president Barack Obama and acting against national security – charges that the Washington Post dismissed as absurd.

Reuters