Brother urges Iran to free Washington Post reporter held on ‘laughable’ charges

The family of Jason Rezaian was barred from attending the opening of his trial Tuesday in a Tehran revolutionary court, his brother Ali Rezaian told AFP in Washington. Jason Rezaian, 39, is Washington Post’s Tehran correspondent. The hearing is taking place behind closed doors at a Revolutionary Court, often used to try security cases. His lawyer Leila Ahsan said he is accused of “espionage, collaboration with hostile governments, gathering classified information and disseminating propaganda against the Islamic republic”. Ms Ahsan has said there is “no justifiable proof” to substantiate the charges against him.

The Iranian authorities needed to look at the evidence, to realize that Jason had no malicious activities, he didn’t have access to any kind of secret information.

Ali Rezaian, Jason’s brother

Mr Rezainan has been in detention for more than 10 months after being picked up with his wife Yeganeh Salehi and two photojournalists on July 22 last year. Ms Salehi and the photographers were later released but authorities continued to hold Mr Rezaian despite calls for his release by U.S. officials. The journalist was born and spent most of his life in the United States but holds both American and Iranian citizenship. The U.S. has had no diplomatic presence in Iran since the seizure and detention of many of its embassy staff following the Iranian revolution in 1979. Many in current Iranian regime have long supported the view that the CIA was involved in maintaining the last Shah, before he was deposed, so American firms could take advantage of the country’s oil supplies.

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