Detained Post journalist accused of spying in Iran media
Conservative Iranian media organizations have accused jailed Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian of spying, a crime punishable by death.
The conservative Iranian media has broken its silence on the arrest of Washington Post Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian and published articles accusing him of spying and having connections to organizations in Washington, with one group even calling for “the maximum punishment.”
Rezaian, along with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, the National’s Iran correspondent, and two other individuals, one of them a photographer, were arrested July 22. According to the judiciary, one person has been released. Rezaian is a dual national, but little else is known about the nature of the arrests. When asked at an Aug. 6 press conference, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Marzieh Afkham said that while she has no details on Rezaian's case, as per Iranian law, only his Iranian nationality is recognized in the country.
While the accusations in the articles against Rezaian appear far-fetched, they are a worrying sign that the cases could be used to further a domestic political issue.
Tasnim News Agency, which is believed to have close ties to the Revolutionary Guard, published a letter by the Basij Organization of Lawyers, addressed to the judiciary. The Aug. 4 article was headlined, “Numerous and reliable documents exist of the spying of arrested Washington Post journalist.”
