Rezaian has been held longer than any American journalist in Iran and longer, according to the Post, than the hostages in the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-1981.
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A semi-official Iranian news agency is reporting that jailed Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaiain has been sentenced to an unspecified prison term following his conviction on charges that include espionage.
The Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie announced the punishment without elaborating further details.
Rezaian was convicted last month of espionage and other charges that are thought to carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
“Rezaian’s verdict has yet to be officially relayed to him and his lawyer”.
The 39-year-old was arrested in July 2014 at his home in Tehran where he had been working as a correspondent for the U.S. newspaper for two years.
Iran’s state media, citing the indictment, have said Rezaian collected information on Iranian and foreign individuals and companies circumventing sanctions and passed them on to the US government. Even after keeping Jason in prison 488 days so far, Iran has produced no evidence of wrongdoing.
Rezaian went on trial in four closed-door court hearings at Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, which hears cases related to national security.
The U.S. has repeatedly called for Rezaian to be freed. In October, there were reports of another detention: The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post reported that Siamak Namazi, a Dubai-based businessman with dual USA and Iranian citizenship, was detained while visiting relatives in Tehran.
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Earlier this year in August the USA and Iranian officials had discussed to swap detained people in each country.
