Iran sentences Washington Post reporter to jail term

Length of sentence not revealed in TV announcement by judiciary official.

Jason Rezaian, correspondent for the Washington Post in Iran, at a campaign event in Tehran for President Hassan Rouhani in April 11, 2013. Vahid Salemi / AP Photo

TEHRAN // Iran has sentenced detained Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian to an unspecified prison term following his conviction last month on charges that include espionage, Iranian state TV reported on Sunday.

Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, the spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, announced the punishment in a statement on the TV station’s website.

“In brief, it is a prison sentence,” he said. The verdict is “not finalised,” he added, referring to an expected appeal.

Rezaian’s lawyer, Leila Ahsan, said she had not been informed of the verdict – let alone details of the sentence.

“I have no information about details of the verdict,” she said. “We were expecting the verdict some three months ago.”

Rezaian was detained with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, Iran correspondent for The National, and two photojournalists on July 22, 2014. All were later released except Rezaian, a dual US-Iranian citizen.

Rezaian went on trial in four closed-door court hearings at Tehran’s Revolutionary Court over the past months. Last month, he was convicted of spying and other charges.

The Post has vigorously denied the accusations against its correspondent.

Rezaian, who has covered Iran for the Post since 2012, grew up in California and spent most of his life in the United States. The newspaper, US officials and Rezaian's family have all called for his release. Iran does not recognise dual nationality.

Iran’s state media, citing the indictment, have said Rezaian collected information on Iranian and foreign individuals and companies circumventing sanctions and passed them on to the US government. Iranian state TV has repeatedly called Rezaian an “American spy”.

Earlier this month, the intelligence department of the powerful Revolutionary Guard claimed in a report to parliament that Rezaian was an agent seeking to “overthrow” Iran’s Islamic ruling system.

His incarceration and trial played out as Iran and five world powers, including the US, negotiated a landmark agreement in which the Islamic Republic agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iranian media in August quoted officials discussing the possibility of swapping Americans detained in Iran for 19 Iranians held in the US. It is not clear, however, whether that has been seriously discussed between Iranian and US officials.

* Associated Press