544 Days

A journalist is jailed in an Iranian prison. His fate is tied to a ground-breaking diplomatic mission. Here’s the story of what it took to get him out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything was going great for Jason Rezaian. He was The Washington Post’s correspondent in Tehran. He had just gotten married. Then, in July of 2014, Jason and his wife were arrested and thrown in an Iranian prison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jason and Yegi are each detained in solitary confinement, enduring everything from cruel interrogations to the tedium of vacuuming their own cells. Without any information from the outside, Jason starts to fear that no one is doing anything to free them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jason's brother gets news of the arrest and calls their mom. The Rezaians begin a long journey to figure out what it will take to face down Iran’s leaders, pressure the U.S. government, and free Jason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you free a hostage without giving the hostage-taker any more leverage? The Washington Post and the Obama administration search for a strategy to bring Jason home. And the whole process is complicated by the high-stakes negotiations over a nuclear deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The public effort to get Jason out gains new life with #FreeJason and some famous supporters, including Muhammad Ali and Anthony Bourdain. Meanwhile, the U.S. government pivots to a secret backchannel to negotiate his release as the true reason for Jason’s imprisonment becomes clear. Featuring interviews with former Secretary of State John Kerry and Obama Administration officials Brett McGurk, Ben Rhodes and Wendy Sherman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jason and Mary Rezaian face off against the “Judge of Death” in his Tehran courtroom just as the nuclear negotiations appear to be wrapping up. Will the deal include freeing Jason? If it doesn’t, will he remain stuck in prison forever? Featuring John Kerry, Wendy Sherman, Marty Baron and Carol Morello. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The clock ticks perilously down towards the day the nuclear deal goes into effect. For Jason, it feels like the door is closing. What he doesn’t know is that his family, the Post, and the Obama administration are increasing the pressure on Iran. Featuring Marty Baron, Brett McGurk, Lisa Monaco, Ben Rhodes and John Kerry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a year and a half in prison, Jason leaves Evin. But that’s just the beginning of a crazy odyssey as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps tries one last time to scramble the deal to get Jason and Yegi out of Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is it possible to return to “normal” after a traumatic imprisonment? As Jason and Yegi begin to make a new life in the U.S., they each face their own struggles. And they confront the troubling reality that, five years later, Iran and other countries continue taking political hostages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Evan Gershkovich is based in Moscow for the Wall Street Journal. Most recently, he was writing about how the war in Ukraine is changing Russian society and the shockwaves that conflict is having on the economy. But on March 29th, Russian authorities detained Evan and are holding him in a notorious prison under allegations of espionage. With the parallels to our story in “544 Days,” we want to share this update. Ever since this show was released, Jason Rezaian has been following cases of journalists and other Americans around the world who are being targeted by authoritarian autocratic regimes. You can find that coverage here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/jason-rezaian/ This episode originally aired on “The Journal.” You can listen to new episodes every weekday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices