An American Captive in Iran

On the podcast: The Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian recounts his grueling 18 months in an Iranian prison.

By , the executive editor for podcasts at Foreign Policy.
The Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington on Jan. 8 before a hearing for his lawsuit against the government of Iran. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington on Jan. 8 before a hearing for his lawsuit against the government of Iran. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington on Jan. 8 before a hearing for his lawsuit against the government of Iran. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

In 2014, Iranian authorities arrested Jason Rezaian at his home in Tehran, where he’d been covering Iran for the Washington Post. Over the next 544 days, Rezaian was held in the notorious Evin Prison, interrogated for hours on end, tried for espionage, and used, effectively, as a bargaining chip in the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. His wife, Yeganeh Salehi, was also imprisoned for 72 days.

In 2014, Iranian authorities arrested Jason Rezaian at his home in Tehran, where he’d been covering Iran for the Washington Post. Over the next 544 days, Rezaian was held in the notorious Evin Prison, interrogated for hours on end, tried for espionage, and used, effectively, as a bargaining chip in the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. His wife, Yeganeh Salehi, was also imprisoned for 72 days.

On FP’s First Person podcast this week, Rezaian describes his prison ordeal and the campaign his wife and brother led for his release. He is the author of the new book Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison—Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out.

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