Washington Post Seeks UN Help for Jason Rezaian's Release

The Washington Post has launched a campaign for the release of Jason Rezaian, its reporter detained in Iran, calling for intervention and assistance from the United Nations Human Rights Council. On Wednesday, July 31, the newspaper announced that it had submitted a petition to the UN Human Rights Council, requesting increased global pressure on the Iranian government regarding Rezaian, who has been imprisoned in the Islamic Republic for the past 365 days. The Washington Post described Rezaian's detention as 'illegal and arbitrary' and noted that no Western journalist has been imprisoned in the Islamic Republic for 365 days until now. Jason Rezaian, 39, born in California and holding dual Iranian-American citizenship, was arrested on July 31 last year along with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi. Mrs. Salehi was released shortly after, but Mr. Rezaian, who had been working as a Washington Post reporter in Iran for two years prior to his arrest, remains in prison on charges of 'espionage for the benefit of the United States' and 'propaganda against the Iranian regime.' Meanwhile, the U.S. government, including President Barack Obama, has repeatedly rejected the charges against Rezaian and called for his release. Rezaian has attended three court sessions to address the charges brought by the Iranian judiciary, and according to his lawyer, the next court session, the exact timing of which is still unknown, will likely be the last review of this case. However, Martin Baron, the executive editor of the Washington Post, has called this court 'fake.' He also described the Iranian judiciary's handling of Rezaian's case as a symbol of 'misconduct' by this judicial body. Martin Baron emphasized that no evidence has been presented against Jason Rezaian regarding espionage or other charges, asserting that he has committed no wrongdoing, but rather has acted as a hardworking and impartial journalist.