National Press Club to host news conference on Jason Rezaian case, March 12

National Press Club president John Hughes will host a news conference on Thursday, March 12, at 2 p.m. to discuss developments in the case of Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, who is currently being held in prison in Iran. The venue is the NPC's Holeman Lounge.

Ali Rezaian, Jason Rezaian's brother, and Douglas Jehl, Foreign Editor of The Washington Post will describe the recent events in this case and the latest conditions for Jason and the prospects for his release.

Jason Rezaian and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, were arrested in their home in Tehran by Iranian Security Forces on July 22, 2014. Jason remains in Evin Prison although he has not been told what the charges against him are, and, until recently, has been denied needed medical treatment. He has also been denied access to a lawyer.

Hughes will describe what the Press Club is doing to help free Jason, including support of an online petition on Change.org and plans to honor him with an award to help raise awareness of his situation.

About Jason Rezaian
Jason Rezaian was born in Marin County, California. Jason's father was Iranian so Jason holds both American and Iranian citizenship. He has been based in Iran as a journalist since 2008. Initially he reported for the San Francisco Chronicle and other news outlets. Since 2012 he has been the Washington Post bureau chief. Salehi, Jason's wife, is an Iranian citizen who writes for The National, a newspaper based in the UAE. Jason and Salehi traveled around Tehran in 2014 with Anthony Bourdain of CNN, introducing him to Iranian food and customs. Video from the trip aired recently on Bourdain's show, Parts Unknown.

About Douglas Jehl
Douglas Jehl is Jason's editor at The Washington Post. He has been at the Post since 2009. Prior to that, Jehl was Deputy Washington bureau chief for the New York Times. Prior to that Jehl worked as a reporter in more than 40 countries for the Times and the LA Times.

About Ali Rezaian
Ali Rezaian is Jason's brother and only sibling. He is currently a technology consultant in the pharmaceutical industry. He resides in Mill Valley, California. Ali leads the family's efforts to obtain Jason's release and is the family spokesman for Jason's case. He has done numerous interviews discussing Jason's case.

About John Hughes
John Hughes is the 108th President of the National Press Club. He is also an editor for First Word, Bloomberg's breaking news product. Earlier in his career John worked for the Associated Press. He is a native of Minnesota.

Editor's Note
If you wish to arrange an interview with Ali Rezaian or John Hughes either before or after the news conference, please contact Bill McCarren at 202-662-7534 or [email protected].