Brother of Iran-held reporter delivers petition for release

A Washington Post reporter held in Iran is in “immediate danger”, the newspaper warned Wednesday as Jason Rezaian’s detention approaches its 500 day.

Journalist Jason Rezaian has been jailed for 500 days. Rezaian was detained with his spouse, Yeganeh Salehi, & two photojournalists. The newspaper said Rezaian suffers from high blood pressure and other ailments as “Iran’s mistreatment of him has intensified”.

Last month, Iran state media reported that Jason Rezaian, a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, had been sentenced to prison – although the length of his prison term is unknown.

He delivered the petition, with 533,000 signatures from people around the world, on a thumb drive.

Some took to social media to vent their feelings over the situation, with co-workers, other journalists, and political figures sharing that they were thinking of Rezaian, and requesting his release. Rezaian, the Post’s Tehran bureau chief, is accused of charges including espionage in a closed-door trial that has been widely criticized by the USA government and press freedom organizations.

His brother said Rezaian’s family is anxious about him. Its new filing with the United Nations working group details the lack of openness in his case and calls the legal proceedings “farcical”. His lawyer, Leila Ahsan, told The Associated Press she had not been informed of the verdict, let alone details of the sentence. He spent about five minutes at the Iranian mission and then was escorted out. “He’s been held illegally, he should be released, and there haven’t been any consequences for them”. “If true, we call on the Iranian authorities to vacate this sentence and immediately free Jason so that he can be returned to his family”. The UN last month demanded that Iran release Rezaian and at least 45 journalists who have been “arbitrarily and unlawfully arrested for their peaceful exercise of fundamental rights”. Last month, the CPJ said 30 journalists were behind bars in Iran in 2014, more than in any other country except China.