Rezaian: We Don’t Have Strong Deterrence Policy to Keep Countries from Detaining Americans, So We’ll Have to Cut Deals

On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “AC360,” Washington Post Global Opinions Writer and CNN Contributor Jason Rezaian, who was wrongfully detained by Iran for over a year before being freed in a prisoner swap in 2016, stated that bringing other wrongfully detained Americans back home “will require some kind of deal.” Because we don’t have “real great deterrence policies” to keep foreign governments from wrongfully detaining Americans and so “we should get on board with the idea that the U.S. government is going to have to make some kind of concessions. Otherwise, people will rot in prisons for a very long time.”

Rezaian stated, “Look, Anderson, my heart breaks for the Whelan family. I’ve gotten to know Elizabeth Whelan over the last couple of years, I’ve spoken with her many times. I am optimistic that he will come home and that all Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad will come home. And unfortunately, it will require some kind of deal. And one thing that we don’t talk about a lot is that there [are] not real great deterrence policies to governments doing this. So, as Americans, we should get on board with the idea that the U.S. government is going to have to make some kind of concessions. Otherwise, people will rot in prisons for a very long time.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett