New hearing begins for Washington Post reporter held in Iran

Since Monday’s hearing was said to be the last one in the trial, there are new hopes that Rezaian will be freed soon.

His lawyer, Leila Ahsan, informed The Related Press after the listening to that she expects a verdict “in every week”.

Rezaian s wife has not worked since and she is barred from discussing the case but Ahsan said that she expected court action against the other accused.

“The verdict will be issued and communicated to us within a week”, she told AFP by telephone in Tehran.

He was arrested in July 2014 along with his journalist wife Yeganeh Salehi and held for months without formal charges.

In recent weeks Rezaian’s supporters have become guardedly optimistic that the recently-announced nuclear accord between Iran and five world powers will help ease the way toward his release.

“If the judiciary is really independent, let them organize a public trial and prove whether my son has done anything wrong”, she said, according to The New York Times.

Beforehand, Iranian officials did not make any claims regarding that today’s hearing will be the last.

Salehi and a photographer who was arrested on the same day were released on bail after two and a half months in custody.

Iran and America broke off diplomatic relations in 1980, following the Islamic revolution the previous year which led to a hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran.

“It remains unclear even to Jason’s lawyer what might happen next”.

Salehi, a journalist for The Nationwide newspaper within the United Arab Emirates, reportedly has been banned from leaving Iran.

She was finally able to present her client’s defence during Monday’s closed-door hearing, the fourth since May in a case that has been condemned by the US president, the Post and the Committee to Protect Journalists as based on false charges and trumped-up evidence.

“Iran has behaved unconscionably throughout this travesty of a case”, he said. There is no reason to accuse him in the lawsuit.

He faces a possible prison term of from 10 to 20 years.

163-a-12-(Mary Rezaian (reh-ZEYE’-ehn), mother of jailed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, with reporters)-“than 37 years”-Mary Rezaian says the trial of her son Jason for allegedly spying on Iran has been a farce”. He and his employer denied the charge, saying he was in Iran only as a reporter.

Rezaian has asserted his innocence throughout the court proceedings, which started in May.

U.S. officials have pressed for the release of Rezaian and other Americans detained in Iran.