The closed trial for a Washington Post reporter held in Iran on widely challenged espionage charges began Tuesday, drawing condemnation from American journalists and raising new questions about the regime's reliability as a partner in ongoing nuclear talks with the Obama administration.
The official IRNA news agency reported that an Iranian security court held the first hearing in the case of Jason Rezaian, on allegations of "espionage for the hostile government of the United States" and propaganda against the Islamic republic, charges that could send him to jail for up to six years.
The reporter already has been detained for more than 10 months. In recent days, his newspaper has stepped up its criticism of Rezaian's treatment at the hands of the secretive court proceedings.
Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron said in a written statement that Rezaian could not select his own lawyer and was given only an hour-and-a-half to meet with the attorney chosen by the court. Further, he said efforts by the Post to secure a visa for a senior editor to travel to Iran "have gone unanswered by the authorities in Tehran."
More: www.foxnews.com
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