Radio Free Europe November 23, 2019
A U.S. court has ordered Iran pay a Washington Post reporter and his family nearly $180 million in damages for jailing the Iranian-American journalist on espionage charges in 2014.
A U.S. District Court judge on November 22 ruled that the damages be paid to reporter Jason Rezaian and his family to compensate for pain and suffering as well as for economic loss during the 18-month detention in Iran.
Rezaian said he was physically abused, deprived of sleep and medical care, and threatened with execution during his detention.
He was released by Tehran in 2016 after 544 days.
The decision is likely mostly symbolic. Tehran did not respond to the lawsuit and is not expected to pay the damages.
However, Rezaian’s lawyer, David W. Bowker, said they could be paid from a fund established by Congress in 2015 to pay victims of terrorism.
More:
https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-payment-rezaian-washington-post-reporter-detained/30287806.html
