Photographing without silence: Yalda Moaiery speaks to The Washington Post
How do you keep taking photographs when those in power want silence? That question drives Jason Rezaian’s Freedom Desk interview with Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery, published on the official Washington Post channel on November 4, 2026. The 20-minute, 52-second video is a recent conversation worth revisiting, not a live report from today.
The Washington Post’s editorial description reports a fifteen-year prison sentence for documenting deadly protests in Iran and says Moaiery is still awaiting arrest. This is attributed reporting from the outlet, not an independent review of court documents.
Independent corroboration concerns the pressure on the photographer: the Committee to Protect Journalists documents a raid on her Tehran home on February 3, 2026, and the confiscation of electronic devices. The consulted profile does not, however, confirm the specific fifteen-year sentence mentioned in the video.
The reason to watch is the first-person account of journalism, intimidation and the decision to continue working. The guest’s testimony remains attributed to her and to the Washington Post’s presentation.