Jason Rezaian has been held in Tehran since July 2014.
Vahid Salemi / AP
Iranian authorities are set to charge Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian with espionage and three other "serious crimes," the Post reported Monday.
Rezaian, the Post's Tehran bureau chief, was arrested on July 22 last year, along with three other journalists, including his wife, Yeganeh (Yegi) Salehi.
His attorney, Leila Ahsan, told the newspaper that, in addition to espionage, Rezaian is accused of collecting classified information, "collaborating with hostile governments," and "propaganda against the establishment."
Iran's Revolutionary Court has still not officially announced the charges, according to the Post.
Ahsan said the indictment accuses Rezaian of collecting information "about internal and foreign policy" and handing it over to "individuals with hostile intent," accusing him of writing to President Barack Obama.
"Jason is a journalist, and it is in the nature of his profession to gain access to information and publish them," Ahsan told the Post. "My client, however, has never had any direct or indirect access to classified information to share with anyone."
The newspaper's executive editor, Martin Baron, released a statement on Twitter:
"The manufactured charges against Jason and Yegi that Iran's courts are now putting forth represent propaganda, not justice," Baron said in his statement to the Post. "The world will be watching; any just outcome to this tragic charade can result only in Jason and Yegi's exoneration and immediate release."
The State Department said it was aware of the reports of charges. "While we cannot confirm the nature of the charges ourselves, we consider the charges that have been reported to be baseless and absurd," an official told BuzzFeed News in a statement. "Jason should be released immediately so that he can return to his family."
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1cR9Df3
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