Holding of the 'Final' Court Session for Jason Rezaian

The fourth and 'final' court session for Jason Rezaian, a reporter for the Washington Post in Tehran, was held on the morning of Monday, August 10, in Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, and was not open to the public. Jason Rezaian's lawyer announced that in this session, the 'final defenses' from Mr. Rezaian were taken. Previously, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, had issued a statement requesting Iranian officials to release Mr. Rezaian as soon as possible and to refrain from making unspecified accusations against him. According to Fars News Agency, Leila Ahmadi, Mr. Rezaian's lawyer, added: 'I presented part of the defense orally, and the part for which there was no opportunity for defense was submitted to the court in writing.' She predicted that 'most likely' the court's verdict would be issued within the next week. Maryam Rezaian (right) and Yeganeh Salehi, Jason Rezaian's mother and wife, respectively, also reported that after the court session, Mary Rezaian expressed hope that 'with the recent developments,' her son would be freed and 'the charges would be lifted.' Mrs. Rezaian told reporters: 'Jason is a journalist and his work is news-related, and his sources are like yours.' She emphasized that there is 'no evidence' of her son's espionage, and if the judiciary has 'evidence and proof' regarding this, it should present it. She also mentioned that she and her husband were unable to attend the court session. She reported that she had met with her son the previous week. The first court session for Mr. Rezaian was held on May 26 in a closed session, but Mehr News Agency had published some details of this session. Meanwhile, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesman, called the action of Mehr News Agency 'improper' and stated that 'the matter is under investigation.' Mehr News Agency reported that during the closed court session of Jason Rezaian, a translation of a letter in Persian was read, which the Iranian court claims was addressed to Barack Obama, the President of the United States, in which Mr. Rezaian states: 'In Iran, I am in contact with ordinary Iranian workers as well as influential clerics.' However, Martin Baron, the executive director of the Washington Post, stated in a statement that Jason Rezaian 'has never had direct contact with the White House and has not written any letter.' Last month, the Washington Post launched a campaign for the release of Jason Rezaian, calling for intervention and assistance from the United Nations Human Rights Council in this matter. The second and third court sessions for Jason Rezaian were also held on June 8 and August 13. Mr. Rezaian was arrested in Iran on July 22 last year along with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and another individual whose name has never been mentioned. Yeganeh Salehi, Mr. Rezaian's wife, who worked for an English-language newspaper in Abu Dhabi, was released on bail after two and a half months. Jason Rezaian faces charges such as 'espionage for a hostile government and propaganda against the regime.' The Washington Post has described Mr. Rezaian's charges as baseless.