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Friday, March 29, 2024

Iran Sentences an American Journalist

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Yeganeh Salehi, left, wife of Jason Rezaian, and his mother, Mary Rezaian, after a hearing during his trial in July.
Yeganeh Salehi, left, wife of Jason Rezaian, and his mother, Mary Rezaian, after a hearing during his trial in July.

Authorities in Iran announced on Sunday that the American journalist Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter held by the government for 16 months and charged with espionage, had been sentenced to prison. The Iranian government made the announcement with as much transparency as it has shown in this case all along: none.

A press report, which was corroborated by a spokesman for the country’s judiciary, said Mr. Rezaian had been sentenced to an undisclosed period of time following his conviction, which was announced in October. Mr. Rezaian faced four charges, including espionage, but the authorities have not provided details about the verdict, which was handed down behind closed doors. Preposterously, as of Sunday, it appeared that neither Mr. Rezaian nor his lawyer, Leila Ahsan, had been told how long the sentence would be.

The prosecution of Mr. Rezaian, a well-respected journalist of Iranian ancestry with dual citizenship, has been a travesty since he and his wife were detained in July 2014. The authorities have failed to present a shred of credible evidence that Mr. Rezaian broke any law and they have deprived him of due process. Recent suggestions by senior Iranian officials that he could be swapped for people imprisoned for violating sanctions against Iran strongly suggest that the case against him was a farce all along.

“Even after keeping Jason in prison 487 days so far, Iran has produced no evidence of wrongdoing,” Douglas Jehl, The Washington Post’s foreign editor, said in a statement on Sunday. “His trial and sentence are a sham, and he should be released immediately.”

By detaining him arbitrarily, Iran is sending a troubling message to the international community as it starts carrying out the landmark deal it reached with world powers over the future of its nuclear program. Western officials hoped that the nuclear agreement would usher in a new era of broader cooperation with Iran. But as they begin taking steps to ease economic sanctions on Iran, as called for in the deal, the treatment of Mr. Rezaian has intensified their concerns about whether Iran can be trusted to fulfill its nuclear commitments.

The fate of the three Americans imprisoned in Iran is one measurement. In addition to Mr. Rezaian, two other Iranian-Americans are being unfairly detained. Saeed Abedini, a pastor, is serving an eight-year sentence after having been convicted of harming national security by holding Bible classes in private homes. Amir Hekmati, a former Marine, is serving a 10-year sentence after the judiciary convicted him of aiding a hostile government.

Under Iranian law, Mr. Rezaian has the right to appeal his conviction. The authorities should ensure that his appeal is given due consideration in a speedy fashion. The only fair outcome would be his exoneration and release.

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