State Perspectives on Iranian Hostage Taking
Iran has long viewed hostage taking as a tool of statecraft and source of revenue. Former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaee, now vice president for economic affairs, admitted as much in a 2021 interview. He suggested that Iran could address its economic needs by simply taking 1,000 American troops hostage, then demanding $1 billion dollars each […]
Hostage Taking and International Law: New Thinking
Our second panel will examine the international law dimensions of hostage taking and discuss challenges to holding states legally accountable. The discussion will explore novel strategies to overcome the accountability gap, including through litigation in U.S. federal courts (and potentially the domestic courts of other states) and through international institutions. Both offer a unique set […]
Held Hostage in Iran: A Keynote Fireside Chat with Jason Rezaian & Allen Weiner
Jason Rezaian, a Bay Area native, who was the Washington Post’s bureau chief in Tehran when the Iranian regime took him as a hostage. The Islamic Republic held Jason in its notorious Evin Prison for 544 days where his captors subjected him to physical and psychological torture. Iran claimed Jason was a spy. In the […]
