NEW YORK

The brother of a Washington Post reporter detained in Iran since July 2014 delivered a petition to Iran's U.N. mission on Thursday demanding the journalist's release.

"They need to know that folks around the world are concerned about this," Ali Rezaian said before handing over the petition seeking the release of his brother Jason.

Thursday marked 500 days since the arrest of Jason Rezaian, who was detained with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and two photojournalists. The others were released. Iranian state TV reported last month that Rezaian had been sentenced to an unspecified prison term following his conviction on charges that include espionage. Rezaian, 39, has dual American and Iranian citizenship. The Washington Post and his family say he had no involvement in spying. The State Department said it supports the petition and is continuing its own efforts to free him. - AP