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American Journalist Jason Rezaian Goes on Trial in Iran American Journalist Jason Rezaian Goes on Trial in Iran
(35 minutes later)
Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post correspondent accused by Iran of espionage who has been imprisoned for more than 10 months, went on trial in a Tehran courtroom on Tuesday morning, state media reported. Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post correspondent accused by Iran of espionage who has been imprisoned for more than 10 months, went on trial in a Tehran courtroom on Tuesday morning, state news media reported.
The trial, which is not open to the public, began at 10:30 a.m. at Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported. Contrary to expectations, Mr. Rezaian’s wife, Yeganeh Salehi, appeared in court alongside her husband and a press photographer, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the official IRNA news agency. The trial, which is not open to the public, began at 10:30 a.m. at Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported. Mr. Rezaian’s wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and a photojournalist also went on trial alongside Mr. Rezaian, according to the state news agency IRNA.
The exact nature of the charges against Mr. Rezaian, 39, was not disclosed until last month, when his lawyer, Leila Ahsan, said they included four counts, one of which was espionage. Ms. Ahsan has been permitted to meet with Mr. Rezaian, a dual Iranian-American citizen, only once. The exact nature of the charges against Mr. Rezaian, 39, was not disclosed until last month, when his lawyer, Leila Ahsan, said they included espionage. Ms. Ahsan has been permitted to meet with Mr. Rezaian, a dual Iranian-American citizen, only once.
The Iranian government is presenting two pieces of evidence of espionage, Mr. Rezaian’s brother, Ali Rezaian, said: an American visa application for his wife, Ms. Salehi, an Iranian citizen who is also a journalist, and a form letter sent by Mr. Rezaian to Barack Obama’s 2008 White House transition team offering help to improve relations between Iran and the United States. It was unclear why the Iranian authorities believe those documents to be incriminating. The Iranian government is presenting two pieces of evidence of espionage, Mr. Rezaian’s brother, Ali Rezaian, said: an American visa application for Ms. Salehi, an Iranian citizen who is also a journalist, and a form letter sent by Mr. Rezaian to Barack Obama’s 2008 White House transition team offering help to improve relations between Iran and the United States. It was unclear why the Iranian authorities believe those documents to be incriminating.
The judge in the case, Abolghassem Salavati, has a reputation for tough sentences, to the point that the European Union placed him on a blacklist in 2011 for human rights abuses. He has ignored foreign requests for court access, and it had been expected that only Mr. Rezaian and his lawyer would be present in the courtroom.The judge in the case, Abolghassem Salavati, has a reputation for tough sentences, to the point that the European Union placed him on a blacklist in 2011 for human rights abuses. He has ignored foreign requests for court access, and it had been expected that only Mr. Rezaian and his lawyer would be present in the courtroom.
The trial is expected to last two to three days, Ali Rezaian said in a telephone interview from California, where the Rezaian family children were born and grew up, adding that the lawyer had told the family of the judge’s decision on court access only on Monday. He denounced the decision, calling it “unconscionable.” The trial is expected to last two to three days, Ali Rezaian said in a telephone interview from California, where the Rezaian children were born and grew up, adding that the lawyer had told the family of the judge’s decision on court access only on Monday. He denounced the decision, calling it “unconscionable.”
The Washington Post had applied unsuccessfully for a visa to allow a senior editor to attend the trial. A senior editor of The Washington Post appliedfor a visa to attend the trial but was unsuccessful.
“The shameful acts of injustice continue without end in the treatment of Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian,” the executive editor of The Washington Post, Martin Baron, said. “Now we learn his trial will be closed to the world. And so it will be closed to the scrutiny it fully deserves.”“The shameful acts of injustice continue without end in the treatment of Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian,” the executive editor of The Washington Post, Martin Baron, said. “Now we learn his trial will be closed to the world. And so it will be closed to the scrutiny it fully deserves.”
Mr. Rezaian and his wife, Ms. Salehi, who is also a journalist, were arrested in July at their home in Tehran. Ms. Salehi was released on bail after a few months and warned not to discuss the case; Mr. Rezaian has remained in prison, where he has been interrogated and denied medical treatment and legal counsel. Mr. Rezaian and Ms. Salehi were arrested in July at their home in Tehran. Ms. Salehi was released on bail after a few months and warned not to discuss the case; Mr. Rezaian has remained in prison, where he has been interrogated and denied medical treatment and legal counsel.
The prosecution of Mr. Rezaian is now seen as a bargaining element in the negotiations between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program.The prosecution of Mr. Rezaian is now seen as a bargaining element in the negotiations between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program.