A verdict has been issued in the trial in Iran of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, the country’s judiciary said on Sunday, without detailing the judgment but hinting at a conviction.
Mr. Rezaian, the U.S. newspaper’s Tehran correspondent, was arrested in July 2014 and accused of spying and other crimes against national security. He was tried in four hearings behind closed doors, the last of which was held in August.
“The verdict for this case has been issued,” Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie, the judiciary’s spokesman and deputy chief, was quoted as saying on its official website. “This verdict can be appealed,” he said, suggesting Mr. Rezaian had been found guilty. “The time for an appeal is not yet over. So the court waits and if it doesn't receive an appeal... the verdict becomes final,” he added. An announcer on state television later quoted Mr. Ejeie as saying Mr. Rezaian had been “convicted.”
The Washington Post , meanwhile, said the ruling was “vague and puzzling,” and it was not clear whether it included a verdict and sentence.