An Iranian court of appeals has upheld the 10-year prison sentence for Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, a former employee of a US government-funded broadcaster, his lawyer announced on X.
Mohammad-Hossein Aghasi said Wednesday he informed Valizadeh of the court's widely expected decision to uphold the 10-year prison sentence during a prison visit, but "perhaps a retrial could open the blindfolded eyes of justice."
The sentence relates to charges of so-called collaboration with a hostile government.
Valizadeh worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Persian Service, known as Radio Farda, for 10 years before leaving the organization in November 2022.
After 14 years abroad he returned to Iran to visit his family in March, according to a post he made on X. He was later arrested in September and received the 10-year jail term.
Radio Farda reported after his arrest that people close to Valizadeh believe he walked into a "security trap" despite the assurances of authorities he would face no punishment.
"Ten years in prison cannot be the punishment for working in the media, even if it is opposition media," Valizadeh's lawyer tweeted. "The charge of propaganda against the Islamic Republic carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison."
He was arrested, sources cited by Voice of America said, for refusing to cooperate with the IRGC Intelligence Protection and the Ministry of Intelligence as well as for declining to express remorse for his journalistic work.
Valizadeh remains in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, a section run by the Ministry of Intelligence where he lacks access to basic amenities and visitation rights, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
International organizations, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, have criticized Valizadeh’s detention and demanded his release.
The US State Department called his arrest unjust and described it as a violation of international law in December.
However, Valizadeh has in recent weeks criticized the Biden administration's State Department for its "lack of effective action" regarding his situation.
In a phone message from Evin Prison shared with Iran International, he said that after the Biden State Department issued a statement saying his arrest and conviction by the Islamic Republic was unlawful, it took no effective measures to win his release.