Washington Post | al Arabiya English
The case of detained Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian will be handled by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, a move that sets the stage for further review, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The Revolutionary Court, which “handles the country’s most sensitive cases” has the power to subject Rezaian’s case to further scrutiny before scheduling a trial, according to The Washington Post.
Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, told al Arabiya English Wednesday that Rezaian’s case was “a judicial matter,” and that the government was “doing its best” to intervene on his behalf.
Rezaian, who was arrested with his wife in July, was formally charged in December, although the court has not made the charges public. He has not been told what he’s charged with, but the accusations relate to “activities outside the bounds of journalism,” according to The Washington Post.
Renizan was arrested with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, along with another photojournalist and her husbamd. Salehi was freed in October, more than a month after the photojournalist and her husband.
In a statement Wednesday, Post editor Martin Baron called the update in Renizan’s case “a step forward” toward his prompt release:
We still do not know what charges the Iranian authorities have brought against our correspondent Jason Rezaian, but we hope the referral of his case to a Revolutionary Court represents a step forward toward Jason’s prompt release. This step gives Iran’s judiciary an opportunity to demonstrate its fairness and independence by determining that the charges are baseless. We call on Iran to make these charges public, to allow Jason access to a lawyer and to bring a swift and just resolution of a six-month-long nightmare that has been extremely difficult for Jason and his family.
Thirty-three journalists were jailed in Iran during 2014, the second-most of any country worldwide, according to data from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
