Jason Rezaian

EDITOR'S NOTE: This alert was updated at 01:23 p.m. Saturday to reflect U.S. officials confirming Jason Rezaian has been freed.

New York, January 16, 2016--The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release today of Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, who spent 544 days in prison in Iran. Rezaian was freed as part of a prisoner swap deal, according to a report in the Post that said U.S. and Iranian officials had confirmed his release.

New York, November 22, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Iranian authorities to release Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, who has been sentenced to an unspecified prison term, according to state media reports that provided no additional details. Last month, state media reported that Rezaian, a U.S. citizen who faces espionage and other charges, had been convicted, but did not say on which charges or whether he had been sentenced.

By Sherif Mansour/CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator

The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined 35 other organizations in calling on member states of the U.N. General Assembly to vote in favor of a resolution for the promotion and protection of human rights in Iran. The vote is scheduled to take place during the 70th session of the General Assembly on November 19.

New York, November 4, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by news reports that Iranian authorities have recently detained at least five local journalists, including the reformist journalists Issa Saharkhiz and Ehsan Mazandarani, and reporter Saman Sarfarzaee, who were all arrested Monday.

Press freedom records of Egypt, Russia, Iran, China, Nigeria, Mexico, Ecuador

New York, September 25, 2015--Each year, the world's leaders are invited to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where they are given a platform to speak freely and openly. But while the leaders of many countries enjoy this privilege, their journalists back home are jailed, threatened, attacked, or even killed for reporting the news.

Dear Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani: On the one-year anniversary of the arrest of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, members of the Committee to Protect Journalists' board of directors today sent a letter urging the head of the Iranian judiciary, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, to intervene in the case of jailed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.

New York, May 22, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iran to ensure a fair and transparent trial for Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, and to allow the reporter's defense team and employer access to court proceedings. Rezaian, who has been held in jail since July 2014, is due to appear in court in Tehran on May 26, according to reports.

New York, April 20, 2015--CPJ is alarmed by reports of official charges levied against Washington Post Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian. The charges included espionage, "collaborating with hostile governments," "propaganda against the establishment," and allegations that he gathered information "about internal and foreign policy," the Post reported today. His case file presents no evidence to justify the charges, according to a statement from Rezaian's lawyer Leila Ahsan, the Post reported.

By Sherif Mansour/CPJ Middle East Program Coordinator

The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with 35 human rights groups, today joined a call for member states of the U.N. Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran at the council's 28th session.

New York, January 9, 2015--A new wave of arrests and prosecutions has been carried out by Iranian authorities in the past month, cementing the country's status as one of the world's leading jailers of journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.