Iran to Put Washington Post Reporter on Trial

Jason Rezaian has been held since July
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 14, 2015 1:28 PM CST
Iran to Put Washington Post Reporter on Trial
A 2013 photo of Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American correspondent for the Washington Post.   (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

A Washington Post reporter who has been imprisoned in Iran since July for unspecified reasons has been indicted and will go on trial, according to Iran's state news agency. The AP reports that the announcement about Jason Rezaian came after a meeting between John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, and if nothing else the indictment finally marks progress in his case. "We hope that this issue could be resolved, but unfortunately there are judicial issues involved which the judiciary has to deal with," Zarif told reporters. The best hope now for Rezaian is that the case will be handled quickly, leading to his release.

Iran has never made clear why it arrested the 38-year-old Iranian-American, who holds dual citizenship. His wife, a fellow journalist named Yeganeh Salehi, also was arrested, but she was released relatively quickly. In interviews last month with the Guardian and Washington Post, Rezaian's family said prison was taking a serious toll on his physical and mental health, in part because he's been held mostly in solitary confinement. The Post offered this: "Some experts have speculated that Rezaian has been caught up in a domestic power struggle between Iranian political factions feuding over Tehran’s recent diplomatic opening toward the West." He will go on trial in a court that handles national security offenses. (More Jason Rezaian stories.)

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