UN rights experts urge Iran to immediately release US reporter

UN human rights experts are calling on Iran to immediately release a Washington Post reporter who has been detained for more than a year on charges including espionage, Fox News reported.

A verdict on Jason Rezaian's case could come as early as next week.

Friday's statement says the detention and closed-door trial violate Rezaian's rights and serve to intimidate journalists in Iran. It says his solitary confinement and full-day interrogation sessions "caused significant physical and psychological strain."

The statement was issued by the special rapporteurs for freedom of expression and human rights in Iran and by the head of the working group on arbitrary detention.

Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron says the statement "comes at a critical moment" and upholds the newspaper's stance that Iran's conduct in the case has been illegal.