Jason Rezaian Trial Resumes in Tehran

"The sham trial of Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post’s correspondent in Tehran, may now finally be nearing its end," said Martin Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post, in a statement on August 8.

“Jason’s lawyer, Leila Ahsan, has been told that closed-door proceedings will resume on Monday in Iran’s Revolutionary Court, and that this will be the final hearing before a verdict is reached.” 

But the Islamic Republic News Agency reported that this latest hearing was not necessarily the last of the trial’s sessions. "We can't say how many trials he will have, everything depends on the process,” it said, quoting the head of Tehran's judiciary, Gholam Hossein Esmaili. 

The Washington Post correspondent was arrested in his home in Tehran on July 22, 2014 along with his wife. Rezaian, who has declared his innocence, is charged with a number of offences, including espionage. He could face up to 20 years in prison.

”This is a critical moment,” the Washington Post editor said. ”Iran has behaved unconscionably throughout this travesty of a case. It has imprisoned an innocent journalist for more than a year and subjected him to physical mistreatment and psychological abuse.”

Three hearings have been held in Rezaian's trial. The third hearing, on July 13, 2015 coincided with the final stages of nuclear talks in Vienna.

The Washington Post recently filed an urgent action petition with the UN, asserting numerous violations of international law and seeking the immediate release of Jason Rezaian.

Find out more about Jason Rezaian. For further information, visit Journalism is Not a Crime, a comprehensive database of jailed journalists in Iran.

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