by taryn | May 31, 2015 | Latest News
As the US and Iran continue negotiations on a nuclear deal, the trial of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian began behind closed doors in a revolutionary court in Tehran last week. According to reports, Rezaian’s hearing adjourned abruptly without any indication of when proceedings would resume. Rezaian’s family traveled to the courthouse for the hearing, but were denied access to the floor where proceedings were held. According to the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, an organization critical of the Iranian government headquartered in Connecticut, Rezaian’s trial commenced in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, “a court known for issuing heavy sentences against political prisoners and prisoners of conscience with little to no supporting evidence.” Meanwhile, in Washington, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on “Americans Detained in Iran.” Mr. Rezaian’s brother, Ali Rezaian, will be among the...
by PRI | May 11, 2015 | Latest News
On Monday, the United States Senate voted 90-0 to pass a measure (S.Con.Res.16) to encourage the Islamic Republic of Iran to “immediately release Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, and Jason Rezaian, and cooperate with the United States Government to locate and return Robert Levinson.” Although Abedini and Hekmati have been charged and sentenced (wrongfully, according to the resolution’s sponsor, Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and the State Department), Rezaian (and possibly Levinson) is currently being held in pretrial detention. As detailed in the resolution, Rezaian was “unjustly detained in 2014 and has been held without trial.” The Senate passed the resolution following tense negotiations surrounding amendments to legislation providing for Congressional review of an eventual Obama Administration deal with Iran on its nuclear program. Though not included as a part of that legislation, the resolution passed Monday evening sends a strong signal to the Iranian Government that it must respect the rights of US citizens in its prisons. Should Abedini, Hekmati, and Rezaian not be released prior to the conclusion of a nuclear deal, it will be interesting to determine how the US Congress responds....
by taryn | May 3, 2015 | Latest News
Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke at an event in New York organized by the New America Foundation. In response to a question about American prisoner Jason Rezaian, Foreign Minister Zarif suggested that Rezaian will have to defend himself in court against serious charges. He then asserted that although many Iranians are also imprisoned abroad, more people know about Rezaian because “the Washington Post has a much better publicity campaign.” The reality is that in addition to Rezaian, who is a dual Iranian and US citizen, there are a number of Iranians currently held in pretrial detention in Iran — including a number of opposition figures who have reportedly been held under house arrest for years without being formally charged with a crime. Moreover, all indications are that Rezaian’s pretrial detention rights have not been respected, an indication that he is unlikely to receive a fair and impartial trial. According to his attorney, the case file she received offered no evidence to support the charges lodged against Mr. Rezaian. Moreover, she has only been granted one substantial meeting with her client, and she does not anticipate another prior to his trial — making it difficult to prepare an adequate defense against the “serious charges” alluded to by Foreign Minister...
