Opinion | These 10 jailed journalists worked for U.S. outlets that Trump silenced

Several journalists are still detained in authoritarian states simply for doing their job

Posted Thursday, March 20, 2025 5:37 pm

Jason Rezaian | The Washington Post

When my Iranian jailers told me, with a straight face, that my newspaper — The Post — didn’t exist, it was easy to laugh it off. I am now imagining what 10 brave detained journalists working for Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia are thinking as they receive news of the demise of their U.S.-based employers in their jail cells.

We have a responsibility toward these brave journalists and their families to win their freedom.

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Jason Rezaian is the director of Press Freedom Initiatives. He served as The Washington Post's correspondent in Tehran from 2012 to 2016. He spent 544 days unjustly imprisoned by Iranian authorities until his release in January 2016.

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Opinion | These 10 jailed journalists worked for U.S. outlets that Trump silenced

Several journalists are still detained in authoritarian states simply for doing their job

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