Hard-line judge reportedly assigned case of Post reporter Jason Rezaian, jailed in Iran

A Washington Post reporter detained in Iran for more than six months will be tried sometime soon before a judge known for imposing harsh sentences, according to an international human rights group.

Jason Rezaian, The Posts Tehran bureau chief, will go on trial before Revolutionary Court Judge Abolghassem Salavati, said the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. In a report posted on its Web site, the advocacy group said the head of the judiciary in Tehran, Gholamhossein Esmaeeli, told reporters on Wednesday that the 38-year-old Post correspondent would be put on trial soon, though he provided no further information on the precise nature of the charges he faces.

Hadi Ghaemi, the group's executive director, said Sunday that a prominent defense lawyer, Mohammed Saleh Nikbakht, and other people in Iran had spoken by phone with researchers with the campaign and told them that the case had been assigned to Salavati, The Iranian government has not confirmed the venue.

Ghaemi said Nikbakht has been seeking to represent Rezaian but that he is not permitted to represent the journalist. Rezaian has not seen a lawyer since he was taken into temporary detention July 22. Esmaeeli, who spoke to reporters in a Tehran courthouse, said the result of Rezaian's trial would be announced after a verdict has been reached.

The Posts executive editor, Martin Baron, called for Rezaians release in a statement Sunday.

There has been no justice in the case of our colleague Jason Rezaian since the beginning," Baron said. "He was held for months without knowing the accusations against him. Now that the case is proceeding to trial, the charges still have not been specified. He still hasnt been allowed to see a lawyer. This case has unfolded, and continues to unfold, without a hint of fairness and justice. Jason should be released immediately. What has happened to him is an abomination and deserves the worlds condemnation.

The Iranian jurist selected to preside over the case is notorious among human rights groups for his actions as head of the Revolutionary Courts Branch 15, responsible for adjudicating cases involving what Iran considers national security crimes and what human rights activists deem to be politically motivated charges. Iranian authorities have not explained why Rezaian has been detained, beyond saying he is accused of activities beyond the scope of journalism.

The assignment of Rezaians case to Salavatis courtroom appears to sharpen an ongoing struggle between moderates surrounding President Hassan Rouhani and hard-liners allied with Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Salavati is among a handful of Revolutionary Court judges known for the stiff sentences they impose on those who challenge the government. They have meted out lengthy prison terms and lashings as punishment for alleged offenses by journalists, lawyers, activists and minority groups. Salavati regularly imposes the sternest sentences of all, including the death penalty for anti-government protesters.

Hes responsible for handing down some very, very severe sentences, said Faraz Sanei, an Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.

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Hard-line judge reportedly assigned case of Post reporter Jason Rezaian, jailed in Iran