美国国家公共电台 NPR--Journalist once detained by Iran reacts to WNBA star Brittney Griner's release

Journalist once detained by Iran reacts to WNBA star Brittney Griner's release

Transcript¹

Washington Post writer Jason Rezaian spent 544 days unjustly imprisoned² by Iran. With Brittney Griner's release from Russian custody³, Rezaian reflects on his own experience of being detained.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

After being held for almost 10 months in Russia, Brittney Griner is on a plane on her way back to her loved ones. President Biden announced the WNBA star's release this morning. Griner was arrested at a Russian airport back in February on minor⁴ drug charges. She was sentenced to nine years in prison and had recently been moved to a penal⁵ colony. To secure her release, the U.S. swapped⁶ a notorious Russian arms dealer⁷. He's now been returned to Russia. No one can get inside Brittney Griner's head right now or know exactly what she's been through, but Jason Rezaian comes close. The Washington Post reporter was detained in an Iranian prison for 544 days. He was released in 2016, also in a prisoner exchange. Jason Rezaian joins me now. Hey, Jason.

JASON REZAIAN: Hey, Rachel. How are you?

MARTIN: I'm doing well. Thanks for joining us.

REZAIAN: Of course.

MARTIN: It's a small club of people who have been in this situation. You are one of them. I wonder if you could just explain what it was like for you in this moment that Brittney Griner is now, when you were on the plane heading back to your loved ones?

REZAIAN: Well, I'll tell you, those 544 days were incredibly trying, but it was the last 36 hours or so that were the most gut-wrenching because, you know, you're not sure if it's actually all going to come together. You've been trained to believe that the worst is going to happen to you. And so, you know, the feeling of release and relief of sitting down on the plane and leaving Iranian airspace is something that I will never forget. It's been almost seven years, but it's a memory that I can recall very easily.

MARTIN: Yeah. So the U.S. and Russia are obviously in this standoff now about the war in Ukraine. When you were being held, the U.S. and Iran were locked in these very tense negotiations⁸ over the Iranian nuclear deal. What was it like to understand that your personal fate was likely connected to things that had nothing to do with you?

REZAIAN: I mean, it took me a while to come to that understanding. Once I did, you feel like you're just a tiny insect in a massive hurricane that can become collateral⁹ damage very easily. But I also understood that because the U.S. and Iran were in the midst of these long-term negotiations that were historic in so many ways, that it was a great opportunity that this might be the thing that got me out. In Brittney Griner's case, it's a much more difficult situation because the U.S. and Russia are at odds¹⁰ over the war in Ukraine, which is so heartbreaking for me because, you know, how Paul Whelan is still there in Russia, still in a penal colony and may not get out.

MARTIN: Again, every hostage situation is different. Every detainee situation is different. Every family different. But can you give us a sense of what it's going to take for Griner and her family to move through the next few days?

REZAIAN: Well, I would hope that they give themselves a lot of space. There's going to be so many demands, so many requests for interview and time. What I like to tell the families of people coming home is that they don't owe that to anybody, not in the short term and not ever. It's a choice that she gets to make, and I hope she's given the space to make that choice.

MARTIN: Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian. Thanks, Jason. I appreciate you talking with us this morning.

REZAIAN: Thanks, Rachel.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

3 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 penal   

adj.刑罚的；刑法上的

参考例句：

• I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。
• He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。

6 swapped   

交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来）

参考例句：

• I liked her coat and she liked mine, so we swapped. 我喜欢她的外套，她喜欢我的外套，于是我们就交换了。
• At half-time the manager swapped some of the players around. 经理在半场时把几名队员换下了场。

7 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。

10 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？