A Journalist in Captivity | Jason Rezaian

Every year, journalists around the world experience censorship, surveillance, and, in extreme cases of press suppression, imprisonment and murder. On July 22, 2014, Jason Rezaian, who served as Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post, was arrested by Iranian authorities from his apartment, along with his wife.

Globally, between 2015 and 2019, a total of 454 journalists were killed and 594 were imprisoned — and this number is increasing. 

This episode tells the ordeal Jason suffered while detained in Iran’s Evin Prison for more than 500 days. We discuss the troubled relationship between the United States and Iran and explore global trends related to media intimidation and the crackdown on journalists. Finally, we share some ideas on how listeners can advocate for freedom of expression and support journalists whose rights have been assaulted.

Featuring policy and advocacy insights from experts:  David Kaye, Former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Professor of Law at UC Irvine School of Law; and Farnaz Fassihi, Reporter for the New York Times.

The Elders Special Segment Guest: Hina Jilani, Member of The Elders and Pakistani Human Rights Advocate.

Hosted by: Hazami Barmada, Founder & CEO, Humanity Lab Foundation and co-Executive Producer of Finding Humanity Podcast.

FOR ADDITIONAL LEARNING ON THIS TOPIC, view our free educational toolkit and "policy deep-dive" document. We invite you to use this episode/toolkit for continued learning, advocacy and activism.

Finding Humanity is a production of Humanity Lab Foundation and Hueman Group Media. 

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