Iran resumes trial of American journalist accused of espionage

Wife and mother not allowed into the closed-door hearing

ABU DHABI // The trial of the Washington Post’s Iran correspondent, Jason Rezaian, resumed in Tehran yesterday.

Rezaian was arrested last July, along with his wife Yeganeh Salehi, reporter in Iran. Salehi, who still faces trial and is barred from leaving the country, was seen outside the court, along with Rezaian’s mother, Mary. The two women were not allowed to attend the closed-doors hearing, which was held as Iran appeared on the verge of announcing a final deal with world powers on the country’s controversial nuclear programme.

Mary Rezaian said she did not know if the timing of the hearing had to do with the Vienna talks.

It was also unclear if the US was pushing for her son’s release as part of a broader deal with Iran.

“I do know there has been effort made on all levels throughout the United States and other countries,” she said.

She was quoted earlier as saying she believed her son could be granted bail, but did not know when the trial would resume.

A judiciary spokesman said a date would be announced later.

The 39-year-old Rezaian faces charges that include espionage and distributing propaganda against Iran.

Critics of the trial, however, say that no evidence of this has been presented.

A female photojournalist, who was detained at the same time as Rezaian and Salehi, has also been released but still faces trial. Rezaian’s brother, Ali, said the

Tehran bureau chief had lost 18kg in prison.

The hearing was only the third to be held since Rezaian was detained, with the previous two sessions held in May and last month.

He is being tried at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

No information about yesterday’s proceedings was released.

“The trial will continue and when the verdict is issued we will announce it to people,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said.

The US has criticised the trial’s “complete lack of transparency”, and said that Tehran should drop the “absurd” spying charges that Rezaian’s brother called “laughable”.