Ejei: The Case of Jason Rezaian's Associates is Not Closed

The spokesperson for Iran's judiciary stated that the "accomplices" of Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post journalist, have been identified and "appropriate actions will be taken at the right time." Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, on February 6, responded to the question of whether Rezaian's release meant the closure of the case regarding his associates in Iran. Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter in Tehran, was arrested last July along with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who is also a journalist, and was later accused of espionage. The Washington Post and U.S. officials have repeatedly rejected these accusations and called for his immediate release. Rezaian was eventually freed along with a group of other Iranian-American citizens imprisoned in Iran during a swap with a group of Iranian prisoners in the U.S., coinciding with the implementation of the nuclear agreement. According to ISNA news agency, the judiciary spokesperson emphasized that "it is important to understand what the party was doing." He added, "The case of Rezaian's associates is not closed." Ejei did not mention the identities of those he referred to as "accomplices" or "associates" of Rezaian. The arrest of journalists, including staff from international media in Iran, has occurred repeatedly, often accompanied by the airing of "televised confessions," followed by their release and exit from Iran. Although Iranian state media did not air any "confessions" from Rezaian at this time, conservative media outlets made various accusations against him. Mohseni Ejei also stated, "We still have dual nationals in prison, whose crimes are usually of this nature." In this case, the judicial official did not refer to the name or identity of anyone. Ejei mentioned that decisions regarding the release of dual nationals were made by the Supreme National Security Council; "Of course, we set conditions, and they accepted, but I am unable to disclose the details." He stated that the issue of prisoner exchanges between Iran and the U.S. was not related to the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the nuclear agreement, known as JCPOA. In another part of his remarks, the judiciary spokesperson indicated that in the coming weeks, more individuals who, according to him, have committed "electoral violations in cyberspace" may be arrested. According to Mizan news agency, he identified the examples of electoral cyber crimes as "spreading rumors, insults, and defamation," as well as "anti-security actions aimed at discouraging people from participating in elections."