US lawsuit by Post journalist seeks $1 billion in damages from Iran to deter taking of hostages

Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post correspondent who was jailed for 18 months in Iran, has demanded compensation from the Islamic Republic, writes Spence S Hsu for the Washington Post

Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian asked a federal judge Tuesday to impose $1 billion in damages against the government of Iran to deter future taking of American hostages, saying his ordeal began when one of three Iranian security agents pointed a gun at his head in the parking garage of his Tehran apartment building at about 8 p.m. on July 22, 2014.

“Are you Jason Rezaian?” the gunman asked.

When he answered yes, the security officials forced their way on to the elevator carrying Rezaian and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who were heading to her mother’s birthday party, Rezaian testified Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C.

Over the next 18 months, Rezaian and family members said on the witness stand, the recently wed couple were arrested; placed separately in solitary confinement; and threatened with execution, physical mutilation and dismemberment.

In Rezaian’s case, he testified, he also was convicted of espionage after a “sham trial” with no witnesses, and evidence that consisted of his newspaper articles and an earlier unsuccessful application for a U.S. government job.

He was held 544 days in captivity, and his wife spent 72 days in solitary confinement.

Read the full article from the Washington Post