WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington Post has filed an urgent petition with the United Nations in the hopes that the institution will pressure Iran to release journalist Jason Rezaian, the newspaper’s top editor and lawyers told U.S. reporters on Wednesday.
The announcement came on the one-year anniversary of the arrest of Rezaian and his Iranian wife, who was later released. Rezaian, the Post’s bureau chief, remains in prison under charges of espionage and distributing propaganda against the Islamic Republic. He has faced three closed-door hearings, and it’s unclear when a fourth – and likely final – hearing will be held or when a verdict will be reached.
The Post’s lawyers and his family have denied the allegations and say Iran has no credible evidence to keep holding him. They also have criticized his conditions, saying Rezaian has lost 50 pounds since his arrest and remains under severe psychological strain.
“Every aspect of this case – his incarceration, his trial, the conditions of his imprisonment – has been a disgraceful violation of human rights. And it violates common decency,” Post Executive Editor Martin Baron said at a news conference at the National Press Club.
Rezaian’s supporters had hoped that the conclusion of U.S.-led talks on Iran’s nuclear program last week would pave the way for his release, speculating that he might have been detained by Iran as leverage in the negotiations.