The trial in Iran of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who has been jailed for the past 10 months on charges including espionage, began in a Tehran courtroom on Tuesday, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Rezaian, who holds dual US and Iranian citizenship and is the newspaper’s bureau chief in Tehran, was arrested in July along with his wife, the journalist Yeganeh Salehi, who was later released from detainment. The two are being tried separately.
Rezaian’s trial is closed to the public, including family members, Iranian news agencies and the Washington Post reported.
On Monday, Washington Post executive editor Martin Baron called the treatment of Rezaian and Salehi “disgraceful,” and said “no evidence” had been produced to support the charges.
Iranian prosecutors have said little about their case against Rezaian. In addition to the spy charge, he is also accused of “collaborating with hostile governments” and spreading propaganda, according to his lawyer Leila Ahsan.
The White House and US State Department, which is facing a June deadline to strike a comprehensive deal with Iran to prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons, have condemned Rezaian’s imprisonment.
GNA
