In the summer of 2014, Washington Post Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian and his wife were arrested and held as hostages in order for the Iranian government to be able to exert leverage in its negotiations with the US. Ultimately imprisoned for 544 days, 100 longer than the US hostages seized in 1979, Jason has since continued his reporting and analysis on similar cases, including in his book “Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison.” Recently, he teamed with producer Kate Woodsome to create the powerful short documentary film “Bring Them Home” about the family of American citizen Emad Shargi who is currently held hostage in Iran.
Jason and Kate join us to tell us about the film and what the US government and all of us can do to bring Americans held overseas home. Â If you want to learn more or provide resources for students about this issue, there is a lesson plan and viewing guide available through the Pulitzer Center. If you want to write directly in support of Americans held overseas, go to the documentary page and scroll down for resources. Â And finally, if you want to support the James Foley Foundation mentioned in the episode, you can find them here.
Photo by: Christina Boemio
