Reporters Without Borders: The Case of Rezaian Has Become a Tool in Iran's Power Struggle

Reporters Without Borders has expressed concern over the political exploitation of the case of Jason Rezaian, the detained Iranian-American journalist of The Washington Post, by rival power factions in Tehran. The organization described Rezaian's detention as arbitrary and illegal, stating he has been pressured to make forced confessions. This latest expression of concern comes as the newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz recently published an extensive article about the journalist titled 'Decoding Jason.' Journalist Omid Memarian noted in a commentary for Radio Farda that the key to solving the mystery of Jason Rezaian is hidden in the last paragraph of this article, which states: 'Jason Rezaian is the key to decoding the dangerous economic-political dominance of the United States over Iran in the Zionist project of “Iran and America Peace.”' Earlier in April, Fars News Agency raised accusations of 'espionage' and national security against Rezaian, claiming that 'selling economic and industrial information of Iran under sanctions is exactly like selling food to the enemy in wartime, and Iran is just one example of the journalist's espionage!' These reports have also drawn the attention of Reporters Without Borders. In a statement published on their website, they quoted Rezaian's case manager, Reza Moieni, as saying, 'Iranian opponents of the nuclear agreement with the United States and the establishment of better relations with the world have referred to Rezaian's case since April 3 (20 days ago). This is not a coincidence, as Rezaian was detained to be used in the power struggle between rival factions in Iran.' According to Moieni, 'Unfortunately, the governments of Hassan Rouhani and Barack Obama missed the opportunity to prioritize human rights and the freedom of journalists during the nuclear negotiations.' The organization has called for the immediate release of Rezaian and other detained journalists and bloggers in Iran. Recently, according to Leila Ehsan, Rezaian's defense attorney, the charges against him include espionage and collaboration with an adversarial government. The White House and the U.S. State Department described the accusations against Jason Rezaian, who has been imprisoned in Iran for nine months, as 'baseless.' The Washington Post also labeled these accusations as 'groundless and ridiculous.'