Washington D.C. – PBS, Sep 25, 2026
This week marks two years that Iranian American journalist Reza Valizadeh has been detained in Iran. For a decade, he worked for Radio Farda — an independent, but U.S.-funded Farsi-language news service. During a trip to Iran to visit family, Valizadeh was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison for “collaborating with a hostile government.” Amna Nawaz spoke with his attorney, Ryan Fayhee.
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Amna Nawaz:
This week marks two years that Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh has been detained in Iran. For a decade, he worked for Radio Farda. It’s an independent, but U.S.-government-funded Farsi language news service.
He resigned in 2022, returned to Iran in 2024 to visit family, then was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for collaborating with a hostile government. He’s now being held in the notorious Evin prison.
I spoke with his attorney, Ryan Fayhee, yesterday.
So we have covered a number of cases of wrongfully detained Americans overseas. You have even worked on Paul Whelan’s case in Russia, for example. But you say Reza’s case in Iran is uniquely challenging. Why?
Ryan Fayhee, Attorney For Reza Valizadeh:
Well, for a number of reasons.
First, Reza doesn’t have any family here in the United States. And so myself, alongside a couple of organizations, have stood in to serve that role the family would ordinarily serve as his advocate here in the Washington, D.C., area. That’s first.
Second, while I have had a number of challenging cases involving some of the U.S.’ adversaries. I have never had one that’s occurred in the midst of all-out war, certainly including a prison that’s been struck by airstrikes by the Israelis late last June, as well as very close to the proximity of war in the neighborhood of Evin prison.
