There are few western journalists in Iran and even fewer American ones. Washington Post Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian, a US-born Iranian-American, worked tirelessly to demystify the inner workings of Iran until he was arrested in July last year. Now he is subject to the same Kafkaesque measures that once filled his reports on others.
As The National has reported, former boxer Muhammad Ali has joined a growing list of notable personalities calling for the immediate release of Rezaian, who has been detained longer than any western journalist in Iran. The issue could hardly be more pressing considering the dire conditions of Rezaian's detainment. According to his family, Rezaian was subjected to several hours of interrogation a day during the first five months of his detention in solitary confinement. He has reportedly lost more than 22kg and is not receiving adequate medical attention for infections and a back injury.
His wife, The National’s correspondent Yeganeh Salehi, has been subject to bizarre and confusing restrictions despite being free on bail. She has yet to learn the charges against her and has been forbidden from consulting a lawyer.
The Iranian government selected the hardline conservative judge Abolghassem Salavati to oversee Rezaian's trial, much to the chagrin of Rezaian's family, which has noted that Salavati has been sanctioned by the European Union for the particularly harsh sentences he has handed to political dissents.
The time for Rezaian to receive a fair trial or be freed is long overdue. Not only is Iran doing severe harm to its image in the international community, it is clear that Rezaian was a fair and impartial reporter dedicated to showing a different side of Iran to the world. With opaque charges levelled against him, it is difficult to see what the Iranian leadership is attempting to achieve by prolonging his imprisonment. The time for such legal games has passed.
