TEHRAN, Nov. 22 (UPI) — Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was sentenced to serve an unspecified amount of time in prison after he was found guilty in an internationally condemned espionage trial.
Iranian Judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei did not reveal the details of the verdict, Tasnim reports.
The U.S. Department of State said it could not confirm the details of Rezaian’s sentencing.
“If true, we call on the Iranian authorities to vacate this sentence and ‎immediately free Jason so that he can be returned to his family,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN.
Rezaian, 39, faces up to 20 years in prison. He was found guilty in Iran’s Tehran Revolutionary Court in October.
“The verdict has been issued but has not been officially handed down to the accused or his lawyer,” Mohseni said. “Given the fact that the verdict has not been officially handed down, I cannot reveal the details but what I can say is that the accused has been sentenced to prison.”
Charges against Rezaian included conducting propaganda against the establishment, collaborating with hostile governments, and collecting information about internal and foreign policy and providing them to individuals with malicious intent.
The Washington Post has consistently condemned Rezaian’s trial in Iran and continuously called for his release.
