11 Members of Parliament Demand Release of Jason Rezaian's Confession Film

On Tuesday, October 5, eleven members of the Iranian Parliament issued a notice to the Minister of Justice, demanding the release of the 'confessions' film of Jason Rezaian, the imprisoned Washington Post journalist. According to Fars News Agency, these eleven members, some of whom are affiliated with the Steadfast Front, stated in their notice: 'Given the trial and sentencing of a dual-national infiltrator named Jason Kazem Adam Rezaian, it is necessary to inform the public about this spy and American infiltrator and to release his confession films.' Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter, has been detained since July 22 of last year on charges of 'espionage' and 'acting against national security.' Previously, Leila Ahmadi, Rezaian's lawyer, had stated that her client's sentence had been issued but had not yet been communicated. In their notice, these parliament members referred to Jason Rezaian as 'the head of the Americans' intelligence base in Tehran.' Signatories include Ismail Kowsari, Mohammad Reza Mohseni Sani, Seyyed Mahmoud Nabavian, and Ali Asghar Zarei. The parliament members claimed: 'During his detention, Jason Rezaian has received support from the Americans, and they have repeatedly asked our negotiating team to release him because he is a journalist.' Furthermore, the parliament members emphasized: 'The extensive information provided to the National Security Commission about this professional spy raised concerns about the threat of infiltrators to the Islamic Revolution and the independence of the country.' It appears that these representatives are referring to a report that the IRGC Intelligence had submitted to the National Security Commission. The spokesperson for the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament stated on Sunday that the IRGC Intelligence Organization had presented a report on Jason Rezaian to this commission. According to Nouzar Shafiei, in this report, the imprisoned Iranian-American journalist is described as 'an agent executing the thoughts of those members of the U.S. Senate who believe that if America can restore its relations with Iran to the pre-revolution level, the Iranian government can easily be overthrown.' The Washington Post has denied the allegations against Jason Rezaian. U.S. government officials and Jason Rezaian's family have also rejected the charges against him and called for the release of this Iranian-American journalist. UN Special Rapporteurs criticized the conditions of Rezaian's detention and the handling of his case on August 14. In a statement, they asserted that 'the detention and holding of a closed trial' of Mr. Rezaian constitutes a violation of his rights. The statement also harshly criticized the conditions of Jason Rezaian's imprisonment, emphasizing that 'solitary confinement and interrogation sessions lasting all day have caused significant physical and psychological pressure' on this journalist. The last hearing of Jason Rezaian's case was held on August 10, behind closed doors, at the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Salavati.