Since Washington Post Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian, a US-born Iranian-American, was detained in July 2014, the charges against him and the entire court proceedings have been generally shrouded in secrecy. Last month, the journalist was convicted on espionage charges in an indictment widely understood to be part of a political show trial designed to apply pressure on Washington to release 19 Iranian agents held in the United States. This week, Rezaian has been sentenced to prison, but the court hasn’t specified the length of his incarceration.
Rezaian’s track record as an impeccable journalist is unchallenged. That he has become entangled in the same Kafkaesque world that once filled his reports demonstrates how far Iran still needs to go to be properly welcomed back into the international community.
Rezaian's wife, The National's Iran correspondent Yeganeh Salehi, was arrested with her husband but released to house arrest. She has since been subject to bizarre and confusing restrictions despite being free on bail. The charges against her are also opaque and baffling.
Rezaian’s saga has played out against the backdrop of the landmark agreement between Iran and six world powers, including the US, over the country’s nuclear weapons programme. In exchange for curbs on that programme, the powers have agreed to sanctions relief in a move viewed as a thawing of relations between the US and Iran. This trial has cast serious doubts on arguments that Iran is ready to come in from the cold and embrace the responsibilities that come with being a member in good standing of the global community.
Whatever the ayatollahs in Tehran are holding out for in continuing to detain Rezaian is not worth the damage they are doing to their country’s reputation. The international community is ready for a new chapter in relations with Tehran. The question is whether Iran is too. The Rezaian case doesn’t inspire much confidence.
