Former journalist and Iranian prisoner advocates for humanity over politics
Jason Rezaian, a former Washington Post journalist, was wrongfully imprisoned for almost 18 months in Iran. (Photo: ALANA BELLE M TIRADO/The Stanford Daily)
Journalist Jason Rezaian was reporting in Iran for The Washington Post when he was arrested alongside his wife, journalist Yeganeh Salehi, in July 2014.
While Salehi was released after a few months, Rezaian was charged with espionage and wrongfully detained for 18 months. Rezaian highlighted humanity and optimism at a Thursday event hosted by the Persian Student Association (PSA) and Stanford Speakers Bureau.
After Rezaian’s release, he published a book about his experiences in 2019 titled “Prisoner: 544 Days in an Iranian Prison.” Although it was initially difficult for Rezaian to relive the traumatic moments of his imprisonment, he tried to consider the perspectives of his captors and find light in darkness, he said.
“The best thing about that is you’re getting to take control of this thing that happened to you, this thing that was done to you, and you can tell the aspects of it that you want,” Rezaian said.