Journalist imprisoned in Iran returning to Washington Post to cover foreign affairs

Journalist Jason Rezaian is rejoining The Washington Post as a staff writer, the newspaper announced Wednesday, two years to the day after he was released from an Iranian prison.

Rezaian will write for the newspaper’s WorldViews blog, which focuses on international affairs, particularly as they intersect with Washington. He will officially return to work on Jan. 22.

Rezaian joined The Washington Post in 2012 as a correspondent in Iran and later served as the paper’s bureau chief in Tehran. 

{mosads}While reporting there, he was detained and imprisoned by the Iranian government, and held for 544 days during the country’s nuclear negotiations with the U.S. 

He was not told what charges he was imprisoned on, but was later charged with espionage. He was released two years ago along with three other American prisoners.

Since his release on Jan. 17, 2016, Rezaian has served as a Nieman fellow at Harvard University and written a book about his experience.

He has occasionally been critical of the Trump administration, such as when he spoke out against a proposed immigration ban on several Muslim-majority countries.