By Ali Rezaian, Special for USDR
As of today, Friday, October 9, Washington Post Journalist Jason Rezaian has been held illegally in Iran’s infamous Evin prison for 444 days, just as long as the Americans from the U.S. Embassy were held from 1979 – 1981. His brother, Ali Rezaian, had this to say:
“Today marks the 444th day of my brother’s unjust detention. Jason is a talented journalist, who was simply doing his job fairly, accurately, and lawfully. It is unconscionable that he has been imprisoned for nearly 15 months—three times longer than any Western journalist ever held in Iran. My brother’s life has been cruelly interrupted, despite his obvious innocence, so that Iran can continue to use him as a political pawn. His unlawful detention has continued for far too long. Jason deserves to be vindicated and we again call on Iran to set him free without further delay.”
During his incarceration, Jason Rezaian has lost nearly 50 pounds and suffered several significant infections, physical strain, and prolonged psychological abuse.
Ali Rezaian recently appeared before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss Jason’s plight and the petition, which was submitted to the United Nation’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in mid-July and called for urgent action to secure Jason’s release. United Nations staff, as well as human rights specialists from several countries and non-governmental organizations, expressed broad support for Jason and were steadfast in their calls for Jason’s immediate release.
To find out more about Jason’s case, please visit: www.freejason.net.
SOURCE Ali Rezaian
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