Iran says no plans to swap detained Washington Post reporter
Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
Publication Date | 25 August 2015 |
Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iran says no plans to swap detained Washington Post reporter, 25 August 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/55ee971e15.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 25, 2015
An Iranian deputy foreign minister has said the Islamic republic has no plans to swap detained Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian for any Iranian prisoners held in the United States.
Iranian media quoted Hassan Qashqavi, who is in charge of consular, parliamentary, and expatriate affairs, as saying on August 25, "An exchange of prisoners is not on the agenda."
Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, holds dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship.
The 39-year-old has been imprisoned in Iran for more than a year on espionage charges.
The newspaper, the U.S. government, and major press freedom organizations around the world have denounced the case and called for Rezaian's release.
At the end of Rezaian's trial on August 10, his lawyer said the verdict should come "within a week."
Based on reporting by AP, ISNA, and Tasnim
Link to original story on RFE/RL website