Washington Post says Iran's conviction of its reporter is 'contemptible'

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian speaks in the newspaper's offices in Washington, DC in a November 6, 2013 file photo provided by The Washington Post. REUTERS/Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post/Handout via Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Washington Post on Monday denounced the conviction in Iran of the newspaper's U.S.-born Tehran correspondent in an espionage case as an "outrageous injustice" and urged Iranian leaders to overturn it.

Jason Rezaian, who was arrested in July 2014, had 20 days to appeal the verdict, the Iranian news service ISNA said, citing an Iranian judiciary spokesman.