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Trial of Washington Post's Jason Rezaian begins; closed to public

"There is no justice in this system, not an ounce of it, and yet the fate of a good, innocent man hangs in the balance."

By Andrew V. Pestano
Jason Rezaian, Washington Post Tehran Bureau Chief, in an undated photo with wife Yeganeh Salehi. Photo courtesy of Free Jason & Yegi/Facebook.
Jason Rezaian, Washington Post Tehran Bureau Chief, in an undated photo with wife Yeganeh Salehi. Photo courtesy of Free Jason & Yegi/Facebook.

TEHRAN, May 26 (UPI) -- The trial of Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post journalist accused of espionage by Iran, has begun in a revolutionary court in Tehran -- closed to the public.

Rezaian, 38, has been held in Iran for almost 10 months. He is accused of "espionage for the hostile government of the United States of America and propaganda activities against the system."

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Rezaian, his wife and fellow journalist Yeganeh Salehi and a third defendant, reportedly a female photojournalist, appeared in court together. All face similar charges.

Charges on Rezaian also include conducting propaganda against the establishment, collaborating with hostile governments and collecting information about internal and foreign policy and providing them to individuals with malicious intent.

"The shameful acts of injustice continue without end in the treatment of Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian. Now we learn his trial will be closed to the world. And so it will be closed to the scrutiny it fully deserves," Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron wrote in a statement.

Iran's revolutionary courts are usually reserved for political cases or cases related to national security. Rezaian was born and raised in California and has dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship.

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"It's worth recalling what kind of system we're dealing with. Jason was arrested without charges. He was imprisoned in Iran's worst prison. He was placed in isolation for many months and denied medical care he needed. His case was assigned to a judge internationally notorious for human rights violations," Baron added.

Rezaian faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

"There is no justice in this system, not an ounce of it, and yet the fate of a good, innocent man hangs in the balance. Iran is making a statement about its values in its disgraceful treatment of our colleague, and it can only horrify the world community," Baron wrote.

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