Today Marks the 500th Day that Washington Post Journalist Jason Rezaian Has Been Held Illegally in an Iranian Prison
Change.org Petition with over 500,000 Signatures Calling for Jason's Release to be Delivered to Iranian Mission to the United Nations
Supplemental Brief Filed with UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Seeking Urgent Action Regarding Unlawful Detention of Jason Rezaian
NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As of today, Thursday, December 3, Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian has been illegally held in Iran's infamous Evin prison for 500 days. As Jason's family and lawyer continue to work and fight for Jason's freedom, his brother, Ali Rezaian, had this to say:
"It is unconscionable that my brother Jason has now been unjustly incarcerated for 500 days in an Iranian prison for crimes he did not commit. He has been psychologically abused, physically mistreated, and deprived of due process of law. To call his trial a travesty of justice is an understatement."
"The case against my brother is a thinly veiled and unlawful attempt by the Iranian Government to gain political leverage. It is well past time for Jason to be allowed to return home to his life and his family in the United States."
Jason's mother, Mary Rezaian, today said:
"My son has lived the nightmare of being an innocent man wrongfully imprisoned in a country he loved for simply doing his job. Unfortunately, Iran's system of justice is neither independent nor impartial. The Iranian Government continues to rob Jason of his freedom, his wife of her husband, my son Ali of his brother, and me of my son.
"My family and I are grateful for The Washington Post's tireless efforts on Jason's behalf. We are encouraged by the continued outpouring of support for Jason from around the world and the hundreds of thousands of people who have signed the Change.org petition urging the Iranian government and judiciary to set him free. We will not stop fighting until Jason rejoins his family."
Today, Ali Rezaian, along with representatives of Change.org and other supporters, will deliver a petition with more than 500,000 signatures of people from around the world calling on Iranian leaders for the immediate and unconditional release of Jason Rezaian from Iranian custody.
Ali Rezaian and the Washington Post have filed a supplemental brief with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, describing events that have taken place in Jason's case since their original petition, which was filed on July 21, 2015. The filing explains how Jason's arrest, interrogation, detention, mistreatment, trial, conviction, and ongoing imprisonment constitute extraordinary violations of his most fundamental human rights under Iranian and international law.
The brief urges the Working Group to issue an opinion finding Jason's ongoing detention arbitrary and unlawful and demanding his immediate release; and call upon the Iranian Government to investigate and hold accountable all those responsible for his unlawful arrest, detention, trial, and imprisonment.
To find out more about Jason's case, please visit: www.freejason.net.
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