Jason Rezaian writes for the Washington Post’s Global Opinions section. Previously he was the Post’s Tehran bureau chief from 2012 to 2016. In July 2014, he was arrested by Iranian authorities and imprisoned for 544 days until his release in January 2016. Before joining the Washington Post he wrote for many U.S.-based and international publications including TIME, Foreign Policy, the San Francisco Chronicle, Slate, GlobalPost, and Monocle. Rezaian’s memoir, Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison, was published in January 2019 by Anthony Bourdain Books, an imprint of Ecco Books. In collaboration with Crooked Media, Gimlet Media, and A24, he adapted it as a nine-episode narrative audio series, which is available as a Spotify original podcast. Since 2018 Rezaian has been a CNN Global Affairs contributor. Among his other television credits are appearances on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Face the Nation, CBS Morning News, Amanpour, Reliable Sources, United Shades of America, and PBS NewsHour. Rezaian is the winner of several journalism awards. He was a Nieman fellow at Harvard University, class of 2017, and a Terker distinguished fellow at George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. Rezaian received his BA from the New School.

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Coming Home after Being a Hostage Abroad

In the aftermath of the prisoner swap with Russia, returned Americans face many barriers to reintegration. Jason Rezaian explains how the United States can move forward with bipartisan policies to ease their burden.

Commentary by Jason Rezaian — August 2, 2024

'Across the Aisle' on Hostage Diplomacy

Amb. Robert O'Brien and Jason Rezaian, co-chairs of the CSIS Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detention, join Columbia University SIPA to discuss the challenges of hostage diplomacy.

Event — April 29, 2024

The Truth of the Matter

Hamas' Hostages

CSIS’ Jon Alterman and Washington Post columnist Jason Rezaian, who serve as executive directors of the CSIS Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detention, join the podcast to discuss the ongoing hostage situation in Gaza, lessons from the Israel-Hamas hostage deal, and how global thought and policymaking regarding hostage situations should evolve.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz, Jon B. Alterman, and Jason Rezaian — December 18, 2023

CSIS the truth of the matter

Just Call Them Hostages

The U.S. government should start calling a spade a spade. When foreign nations illegally detain Americans simply to gain leverage over the United States, the government should call them what they are: “state hostages.”

Commentary by Danny Sharp and Jason Rezaian — July 20, 2023

The Kurdish Roots of Iran’s Freedom Movement

The death of Mahsa Amini has brought Iranian Kurds’ long struggle for representation to the forefront. Join the Middle East Program as we discuss the history and future of Kurdish identity in Iran.

Event — January 26, 2023