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Washington Post Reporter’s Family Asks Iran to Free Him, Calling Incarceration a Farce Family of Post Reporter Calls on Iran to Free Him
(about 1 hour later)
The family of The Washington Post’s Iran correspondent, who has been jailed without explanation or charges since July 22, on Thursday called for the Iranian authorities to release him and said his incarceration was a farce. The family of The Washington Post’s Iran correspondent, who has been jailed without explanation or charges since July, called on Thursday for the Iranian authorities to release him and said his incarceration was a farce.
In a statement posted on a website created to publicize the effort to free the correspondent, Jason Rezaian, 38, a dual Iranian-American citizen from California, his mother and brother wrote that it was clear the authorities had failed to find anything incriminating. In a statement posted online, the mother and brother of Jason Rezaian, 38, a dual Iranian-American citizen from California, said it was clear officials had failed to find anything incriminating.
Otherwise, they wrote, he would have been formally charged by now. Otherwise, they wrote, he would have been charged by now.
The statement came as Mr. Rezaian spent his 100th day of confinement in Iran. He has not been permitted telephone calls from Tehran’s Evin Prison, and cannot hire a lawyer because he has not been formally accused. The statement came on Mr. Rezaian’s 100th day of confinement in Iran. He has not been allowed to make or receive phone calls from Tehran’s Evin Prison, and cannot hire a lawyer because he has not been formally accused.
“Unlike previous high-profile cases, the Iranian government has never even pretended that they had proof to suspect Jason of wrongdoing to justify the detention,” read the statement by his mother, Mary Breme Rezaian, and brother, Ali. “Unlike previous high-profile cases, the Iranian government has never even pretended that they had proof to suspect Jason of wrongdoing to justify the detention,” his mother, Mary Breme Rezaian, and brother, Ali, said in the statement. “They have spent 100 days interrogating him in an attempt to find something, anything, that they could use to justify his unwarranted detention.”
“So they have spent 100 days interrogating him in an attempt to find something, anything, that they could use to justify his unwarranted detention,” they wrote. They added that releasing him “would demonstrate to the world much more strength on the part of the Iranian leadership than allowing this farce to continue.”
“After 100 days it’s time for Iran to concede Jason’s innocence and release him. Doing that would demonstrate to the world much more strength on the part of the Iranian leadership than allowing this farce to continue.” The State Department and The Post have repeatedly called on Iran to release Mr. Rezaian. Douglas Jehl, The Post’s foreign editor, said in a statement on Thursday that Mr. Rezaian’s incarceration was “inexplicable and utterly unacceptable.”
The State Department and The Washington Post have repeatedly called on Iran to release Mr. Rezaian. Mr. Rezaian holds an American passport, but the Iranian authorities do not recognize his American citizenship and consider him an Iranian citizen. Thus, they say, they have no obligation to grant foreign diplomatic access to him.
Douglas Jehl, The Post’s foreign editor, said in a statement on Thursday that Mr. Rezaian’s incarceration was “inexplicable and utterly unacceptable.” Human rights advocates outside the country say the case of Mr. Rezaian, who has reported for The Post from Iran since 2012, has undercut President Hassan Rouhani’s vow to create a less restrictive atmosphere and is another irritant in the estranged American-Iranian relationship.
Although Mr. Rezaian holds an American passport, the Iranian authorities do not recognize his United States citizenship and consider him an Iranian citizen. Therefore, Iranian officials say, they are under no obligation to grant foreign diplomatic access to Mr. Rezaian. It has also exposed fissures within the Iranian leadership, where the security and judiciary branches are dominated by conservatives wary of Mr. Rouhani.
Human rights advocates outside the country say the case of Mr. Rezaian, who has reported for The Washington Post from Iran since 2012, has helped to undercut President Hassan Rouhani’s vow to create a less restrictive atmosphere and is another vexing irritant in the estranged American-Iranian relationship. Mr. Rouhani’s American-educated foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who knows Mr. Rezaian and has called him a fair reporter, told NPR last month that the matter was out of his hands.
It also has exposed some fissures within the Iranian leadership, where the security and judiciary branches are dominated by conservatives who are known to be wary of Mr. Rouhani and his close aides. Other Iranian officials have hinted that he is suspected of espionage, but they have not elaborated.
Mr. Rouhani’s American-educated foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who knows Mr. Rezaian and has called him a fair reporter, said in an interview with NPR last month that the matter was out of his hands. Mohammad Javad Larijani, head of Iran’s human rights commission, told CNN Wednesday that officials were looking into activities thought to have gone “beyond the sphere of journalism.”
Other Iranian officials have hinted that Mr. Rezaian is under investigation for espionage activities but have offered no specifics and have not explained why the inquiry has taken so long. Mr. Rezaian was seized along with his Iranian wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who also is a journalist, and two Iranian-American photojournalists. Within a month, the photojournalists were released.
On Wednesday, Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of Iran’s human rights commission, defended Mr. Rezaian’s incarceration, saying in an interview on CNN that security officials are looking into Mr. Rezaian’s activities that are suspected of going “beyond the sphere of journalism.” In a possibly hopeful sign for Mr. Rezaian, Ms. Salehi, 30, was reportedly freed on bail early this month. Though she has not been charged, Ms. Salehi, who works for The National, a United Arab Emirates newspaper, has been prohibited from resuming work.
Mr. Rezaian was seized along with his Iranian wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who is also a journalist, and two Iranian-American photojournalists. Within a month the photojournalists were released. She has been allowed to see Mr. Rezaian, his brother said in a phone interview on Thursday, and both are physically healthy.
In a possibly hopeful sign for Mr. Rezaian, Ms. Salehi, 30, was reported freed on bail early this month. Although she also has not been charged, Ms. Salehi, who works for The National, a United Arab Emirates newspaper, has been prohibited from resuming her work.
She has been permitted to see Mr. Rezaian, his brother said in a telephone interview on Thursday, and both are physically healthy. “We’re happy he’s been able to have contact with his wife,” the brother said.
Still, he said, Mr. Rezaian has been barred from any other communication, and the ordeal has “gone on much longer than we could possibly have imagined.”Still, he said, Mr. Rezaian has been barred from any other communication, and the ordeal has “gone on much longer than we could possibly have imagined.”