Marco Rubio Condemns Iran for Imprisoning Washington Post Reporter

From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., condemned Iran for  imprisoning Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as a spy and called on the Obama White House to do more against that Middle Eastern nation. 

“It’s sickening that the Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian has been sentenced to prison after a sham trial in Iran based on made-up charges,” Rubio said on Monday. “Jason is the longest held international journalist by Iran, and he deserves to be free. Instead, the kangaroo courts in Iran’s justice system have already forced Jason to languish in their jails for over 16 months, with details of his new prison sentence still unknown.
 
“It is unacceptable that the Obama administration missed an opportunity to make the freedom of Jason – as well as Amir Hekmati and Pastor Saeed Abedini, and obtaining information about missing Floridian Robert Levinson – a priority in its negotiations with Iran,” Rubio added. “Jason should not be behind bars for his profession as a journalist, and he should be released unconditionally. Today, my thoughts and prayers are with the Rezaian family as the Iranian regime continues to use Jason as a pawn.”