Iranian state television reported late Sunday that Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian has been convicted on charges that included espionage.

The report quoted a judiciary spokesman, but did not include any details of the verdict except that it Rezaian and his lawyer are eligible to appeal the conviction within 20 days.

Rezaian’s attorney has not confirmed the conviction or commented on the report.

Immediate appeal

Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron called the verdict “an outrageous injustice” and said the newspaper is working with Rezaian’s family and legal team to seek an immediate appeal.

“Iran has behaved unconscionably throughout this case, but never more so than with this indefensible decision by a Revolutionary Court to convict an innocent journalist of serious crimes after a proceeding that unfolded in secret, with no evidence whatsoever of any wrongdoing,” Baron said in a statement Monday.

He called the verdict a “contemptible” end to the case and said Iranian leaders have an obligation to “right this grievous wrong.”

No formal charges

Rezaian had been working for The Washington Post in Iran since 2012 before he was arrested in July 2014 and held for months without formal charges.

Iranian authorities also arrested his wife, Yeganeh “Yegi” Salehi, and two other people. Salehi, also a journalist, has since been released, but Rezaian has remained in jail.

The executive editor of The Washington Post, Martin Baron, said Sunday the newspaper was aware of Iran’s initial announcement of a verdict, which he called “vague and puzzling.”

“It is not clear whether this ruling includes a verdict or a sentence – or even whether its contents have been communicated to Jason or his lawyer,” Baron said. “Jason is a victim — arrested without cause, held for months in isolation, without access to a lawyer, subjected to physical mistreatment and psychological abuse.”

Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic relations since 1980.
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