The trial of a Washington Post journalist, Jason Rezaian, who was detained in Iran for nearly 10 months on charges of "espionage" among others, will take place next week, according to the reporter's defense lawyer.
According to Bloomberg, Rezaian, 39, is a dual American-Iranian citizen, and is slated to go on trial at a Revolutionary Court on Tuesday. His wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who was also detained along with him in July but later released, and a third individual have also been asked to appear in court. It is unclear whether proceedings will be open to the public. The court, which hears cases associated with state security, generally conducts its hearings in closed session.
The Executive Editor of The Washington Post, Martin Baron, appealed to the court in an attempt to open the trial to public scrutiny and denounced the "contemptible prosecution" of Jason Rezaian, who has been under arrest since July 22 and permitted only one meeting with his defense lawyer - held in the company of official translators, the BBC reported.
"The serious criminal charges that Jason now faces in Iran's Revolutionary Court are not supported by a single fact," Baron said in a statement, The Washington Post reported.
"The proceedings against him have been anything but fair and open - if they had been, Jason would never have been subjected to outrageous prison conditions, obstacles to selecting a lawyer, limited time to prepare a defense, and an inadequate window on the case that Iran plans to bring against him," he added. "The absence of evidence against him should have led to dismissal of the case long ago."
Rezaian is facing four charges, including espionage and collaboration with a "hostile government." An indictment accuses the reporter of gathering information on Iran's "internal and foreign policy" and providing said information to "individuals with hostile intent," according to The Guardian.
The U.S. government has deemed the charges against Rezaian as "absurd," and called for the journalist's release. His family has also repeatedly declined the charges. Rezaian, who was brought up in California, lived and worked as a reporter for The Washington Post, along with his Iranian wife of two years.
