u for joining us. >> hi, everyone. this is aljazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. on edge. missouri governor says violence will not be tolerated as ferguson waits for a grand jury decision. face-to-face, president obama's meeting with the cheese president and how russia is playing a big role in beijing. recaptured, taking back a large part of its strategic oil. >> the united states has its way of putting pressure or journalists. >> i talked to comedian, john

stewart t. in his directing debut, john stewart, the war on journalists. >> it has been three months now since a police officer in ferguson, missouri, shot and killed michael brown. we have seen the protests, and felt the anger and now we await the grand jury's decision on whether to indict officer darren wilson. we don't know how the community will react, but we do know the preparations that they will put in place, with 1,000 officers ready for potential violence. in ferguson with more, usher. >> good evening, john, all is quiet on the streets of ferguson tonight. but as anticipation grows for that grand jury announcement, the police and protesterse are readying for what may come.

businesses on the man drag if ferguson look like they are preparing for a hurricane. but even while they brace for the possibility of violence, some are trying to paint a positive picture. >> i'm just playing with colors, and i want this to be a happy theme. business as usual. but still trying to protect ourselves. >> when can you take these down? >> we don't want to take them down. we have to keep them up. >> barbershop owner, tony henley, said that customers are afraid to come to ferguson. business is down 50% since the shooting. but he has the possibility to protect his shop. >> insurance companies are telling us that we have to board up or they're not going to cover any damages. >> the grand jury is following the decision in the michael brown case.

the prosecutors said that could come in mid to late november and there's a palpable uneasiness on the streets. if darryl wilson is not indicted, there could be a response even more violent than the days following the august shooting. and meat, the police department has stocked up on equipment, spend 4: other thousand dollars on riot gear and $30,000 to replace pepper spray and rubber bullets. >> these measures are not being taken because we're convinced that violence will occur, but because we have the responsibility to prepare for any contingency. is the public demands and i demand that. this coordinated effort will be guide by our core principles. keeping the public safe, while allowing people to speak. >> the underlyin underof problen ferguson are not being addressed. >> we prepare by being aware of

these things, but not being deterred by them. >> as they await the grandma decision, they will be preparing for the potential rules of engagement for demonstration. >> and john, the acting superintendent of schools in ferguson, along with a number of other school districts in the area, have asked that the announcement from the grand jury not take place after school hours, after school, or on the weekend, so children going home will be able to get home safely. in the meantime, residents and business owners here continue to wait and basically stay in limbo until the decision comes through. >> all right, thank you. and now to the other big story, one that it halfway around the world. the face-to-face meeting between president obama and china's leader. they're talking in beijing, and there are live pictures coming from the asia pacific economic summit. we expect the two leaders to emerge in just a moment. these are the welcoming ceremonies underway.

they could be talking about trade in america. they are announcing the deal on easing restrictions and ending tariffs on high-tech goods. the white house says that that could be 50,000 new jobs, and china's critics, the human rights record has been widely condemned by the white house, but advocates fear that those concerns will be brushed aside in beijing. >> reporter: win li hopes that her words will be heard back in her homeland. she left for new york city, leaving behind her career and parents for freedom that she hopes that chinese will enjoy. >> you have to give up something. >> reporter: she's among a small group demanding more from china outside of its consulate in new york city. worried that at the summit in beijing, human rights are been lost amid talk of trade and

terrorists. dissidents say that obama has offered only mild criticism of beijing. >> we look to china to move definitively to move to a market exchange rate and stand up for freedom of the press. >> some say that it's limited as he balanced other interests. >> we'll be very direct with china on our concerns about human rights, just as we're concerned about some of their businesses practiced. >> china has arrested thousands of protesters, it business people, poets. he was arrested for helping to organize the tienanmen square protest. freed in 1994, at the urging of president clinton, he says that those words carry more weight than many realize. >> if you're in a small jail, you are beaten by the plan.

-- policeman. if you are tore furd, you will feel the voice, and it's really really important. also, you can encourage those people fighting for knock and human rights. >> so he and others hope that obama will now spread that message. >> what have you given up in this fight? >> i cannot go back right now, that's a really, really -- it's killing me. i haven't seen my parents for almost ten years. i'm only child in my family. and i'm supposed to take care of my parents, but i cannot do that. >> until then, she stands, shouts, and sacrifices. jonathan betts, aljazeera, new york. >> and we have live pictures from beijing where the two leaders in the united states and china have just emerged, and you see the secretary of state on the left as well. the beijing summit has already had one big surprise. the conversations between

president obama and vladimir putin, not the best of friends lately. but today the two spoke with each other three times. the national security council said they talked for about 15-20 minutes and discussed iran, syria and ukraine. tonight, iraq's army reports a major advance in the fight against isil. they have recaptured much of the city of baiji, home of iraq's biggest oil refinery. we have the exclusive video of the battle. >> reporter: when isil fights back, this is what happens. another few inches closer, and our cameraman would have been caught in the blast. iraqi forces say the battle for baiji will be decisive. >> we're now in the central neighborhoods of the city of baiji.

these are adjacent to the checkpoint, which is considered in turn to be strategically valuable because it controls a supporting lifeline of isil, stretching all the way from beiji city up to tikrit. today we have managed to cut isil's supporting lifeline. but that confidence is in stark contrast to how deadly isil fighters can be. this is the reality of the fight for baiji. isil fighters are not at a stalemate, but it's close. isil are using increasingly desperate tactics, including suicide bombers, car bombs and snipers. we have seen these tactics before. isil fighters rarelyisurrender. it's a fight for the death. beiji is a territory they want to hold onto, and that means that this fight will be much tougher. the isil fighters gave up the

territory because it was on the border of the place they control. but baiji is very central to them, and they are going to want to hold onto it. baiji oil refinery is 15 kilometers from here. the facility is partly controlled by isil and partly by iraqi forces, and taking them both back could be the toughest fight yet. >> a palestinian man was shot and killed today by israel troops in west bank. the israeli army said in a protesters threw rocks and molotov cocktails outside of a refugee camp. a woman and a soldier are dead. they are accused of provoking the religious war. israel's president is vowing to increase security in response to the unrest. now in india. a deeply disturbing story. at least eight women have died and dozens more in critical

condition after a botched mass sterilization. it took place at a state-run camp. >> reporter: that's right, john. more than 80 women were reportedly only rated on in just hours on saturday, all as part of a government sponsored program to keep india's population growth in check. now a police report is said to be filed against the surgeon. >> these three women are not among the 80 women who underwent sterilization surgery in five hours, dozens were hospitalized and eight dead. they took place on saturday. part of the state government's volunteer family planning campaign to keep i couldia's rapidly growing population under control. >> the government is doing it because of the increase in

population, and it's really unfortunate, because what has ended up happening, we started looking at people in terms of numbers and statistics, rather recognizing their right to life and human beings that need care. >> to this approach, we demand full compensation to the women who have been victimized by this wrong policy approach. >> critics are also upset that the government not only condoned the surgery, but gave the women $22 each to encourage them. >> a medical team has been sent, and a medical director, and a compensation of more than $3,000 each will be given to them by the state government for the families of the deceased women. >> contraceptives and sterilization are needed to control the country's rapid growth.

but the numbers are putting lives at risk. the population is 1.2 billion is expected to overtake china by 2030, and the growth is 1.2% annually, which is the equivalent of the entire population of new york city added to india every single year. >> sterilization, a disturbing story, thank you, morgan. a challenge is threatening a region ravaged by ebola. west africa, now on the brink of a major food shortage. many farmers have abandoned their farms, causing prices to surge, and it's also a concern that people will break the quaran teens to search for food. in america, the last ebola patient was released today. dr. craig spencer spoke briefly with reporters before leaving belleview hospital. and he said that medical volunteers should not face stigmas when they return home,

and instead, the focus should be on the crisis in west africa where the crisis continues. >> it's important to remember that my infection represents a friction of the 13,000 reported cases to date in west africa. the center of the outbreak, where families are being torn apart and communities are destroyed. >> and today spencer's fiance became the last person released from quarantine in new york. tomorrow morning, ebola survivor and freelance cameraman joins us live to talk about his recovery. and you can see that interview at 7 a.m. eastern time. we want to update you now on this winter storm dropping record-breaking snow in the northern plains, and meteorologist, kevin corriveau is here. >> across wisconsin, i want to show you video that has come up from the upper peninsula of michigan. let me show you this.

this is from this morning, and we're talking about almost blizzard-like conditions. gusty winds across the region, and some of the schools are closed as well. the snow is continuing this evening, and we could see totals of 30 inches and higher as we go through the next couple of days. it's not just the snow, but we're dealing with the temperatures right now. look at this. rapid city, currently 1°, and that has dropped since yesterday. it feels more like -18°, and tomorrow morning, the temperatures across the region will be well below the average for this time of year. chicago, 21° there, and we're going to be seeing more snow. this is going to be lake affect snow across much of the great lakes. great lakes are wide open, no ice on them, the water is warm. and that's going to be going to parts of new england, john, as we go to the next couple of days. >> we're just getting started, kevin, and thank you very much. >> . >> up next, inside of the life

on a navy seal. and plus -- >> from combat to coffee. the challenges of turning military training into civilian jobs. >> and my conversation with john stewart, taking on the very serious subject of press freedom in his new movie.

>> with president obama in china, vice president biden stepped in to honor veterans at arlington national cemetery today. the vice president went to the tomb of the unknowns to mark veteran's day, and he paid tribute to the 3 and a half million men and women who joined the armed forces after the september 11th attacks. for work for veterans, it can be hard to find. companies are promising to help. starbucks has pledged to hire 10,000 veterans over 5 years, but so far the program is off to a slow start. >> amy is a good example of the challenges that veterans face in the job market. she spent years as an inner battle manager, telling pilots when and where to attack. >> you know a lot about aircraft and weapons, and you make sure that aircraft are in the right place at the right time. >> not exactly the job

requirements for making a good non-fat latte. in the inning for total retail experience --. >> a year ago, starbucks promised to hire 10,000 veterans and veteran's spouses in five years. so far, the company admits, it's just a tenth of the way there. in the next two years, it's expecting 1 million american service members will transition out of uniform and into a very different civilian world. starbucks hired ex-marine, tom tice, to head its veteran recruitmentest. he said that veterans need to do more than follow orders and show up on time. >> really, what we're looking for as individuals, who are you, and what do you want to do? how do you want to represent yourself? >> the deputy has a lot of work to do to hit that much-advertised gom. four regional recruiters have

been hired as the push continues. >> i believe that every organization is going to need to recruit veterans. they understand the language and how to transfer those skills. >> other companies are hoping that the skills translate. uber hopes to sign up 50,000 vets and family members over the next 18 months. they said ex-military drivers have the highest ratings. wal-mart has put 60,000 veterans on the payroll in the last year and have, well on their way to the goal. according to the bureau of labor statistics, the unemployment rate for post-9/11 vets is 60%. but it's dropping faster than the country's overall jobless rate. for this national guard lieutenant colonel, it's running out. dealing with life and death

does translate, handling a coffee crew and personal for customers during a morning ride. >> . >> we provide the phenomenal customer experience, instead of worry about aircraft and dropping bombs and things like that. >> she has been able to adapt. and with thousands of vets leaving the service every month, that kind of flexibility among employees and applicants will be crucial. aljazeera, seattle. >> the navy seals are one of the most elite and talented units in the country. a new pbs documentary tonight, entitled navy seals, the untold story gives the insights to the most dangerous missions. >> so all of the rockets are real. what it's fostering in you is your ability to react under extreme adversity, and to be

able to clearly think under a lot of stress. so when bombs are going off and rounds are flying, and you know, you hear "man down!" and you have to do all of these things, what that's doing is allowing you to remember that you have to stay focused, and the last thing you're supposed to do is panic. >> joining me now is jeff bramstead, former navy seal and coproducer of this documentary, on veteran's day, what does it take to be a navy seal? >> a little bit of crazy, and a little bit of fitness, and drive. >> you serve for 13 years? >> 1 13 years. >years.can you give us a sense t that was like? >> it was no two days the same. it was a ton of travel. time away from your family, commitment. and commitment to the guys that you're in it with. and it's a very unique

environment. unlike any other workplace on this planet, i guarantee that. >> an elite force, maybe the most elite force in our armed forces. obviously, you're proud to be part of the organization. where does that pride come are? and the comradery, and i mean, you're known for these incredible moments in our history. >> right. quite frankly, it comes from deep down in you. some people have it, and some don't. the ability to get through something like that, to be able to take that to the next level and go and operate with it, the expertise that these guys are going out and operating with, it comes from years and years and years of training, and doing, doing the amazing and doing it in excellence. that's where it comes from.

you don't win wimbledon with leg shots, it's hours and hours of practicing forehand and that one moment that matters the most. >> you don't talk about the individual missions obviously. but are there moments that stick out of your brain, moments that you relive years later? >> there are moments that i can recall, times that i nearly drown, and times when i was nearly shot and times when i was nearly blown up, and every single one of them has a very unique place inside of me. and i remember one time when i nearly drown. i remember every word that every coach and every instructor and every teacher, every word of encouragement, all came into play in that moment, where i actually had to choose to not die.

die and that moment that i chose, i had somebody else with me, and i chose because i had somebody else that was involved. so it's a pretty intense place to be. >> seals are not supposed to talk about their missions, and lately seals have been in the news, osama bin laden in particular. what about the fact that some american executives in power get to speak, but the seals have been criticized for speaking out? >> . >> well, i think that just the fact that -- i don't know if it's sealing criticized for speaking out so much as these guys are just amazing at what they do for starters, and media, in this day and age, has come to the point to where really not much can happen in world issues, even inside of our military, where it's not going to be drawn to the attention of the general public. so how does a guy navigate that? you have these guys that are

involved in amazing stuff, and well, it's okay for them to talk about it. they clear it through the proper channels, the military, and if they don't do that, they could have a difficult bridge to pass over in the future. but i'm not sure where some of those guys are in that process. >> how do you go from being a seal to a documentary maker and coproducer? >> that's an outstanding question. i spent time in the film industry, and spent time doing stunts in movies, and television shows, and commercials and things like that. and through those journeys, i ran into carol fleischer, the executive producer, and she and i worked together on a couple of projects, and we were just a couple of bored people sitting around one day, saying what should we do? and it turned into a conversation around possibly doing something that has never been done, a documentary at the level that has never been explored, educating the public

on the history and the background of the navy seal community. >> it's a great story. and it's great to have you on the program and great to meet you. tonight, our special report: >> as the definition of journalism spans, they are arresting more and more people. >> john stewart on his dramatic film, rose water and the fight for freedom of the press.

>> it was supposed to be funny, a comedy on the daily show, but they didn't get the joke. they arrested and imprisoned and tortured the reporter. telling that shocking story took john stewart from behind the desk to the director's chair. tonight, both men sit down with us to talk about their new film and the injustice they say is spreading. >> there has to be a method where we can get these political prisoners being held in these countries. there's no purpose in it. >> tonight, our special report, john stewart, the war on journalists. >> good evening, i'm john seigenthaler, journalists

around the world are harassed and killed for doing their job. in 2013, the second worst year on record. and tonight, we're looking at the crackdown on the freedom of the press, and a new movie that tells the story of one reporter in prison in i were an. the film is called rose water, written and directed by comedian, john stewart. >> i believe that the program was called excedrin pm and colt .45. >> john stewart is a pro at punch lines, but now as a filmmaker. it's definitely not for laughs. >> it's called "rosewater." debuting friday, it's the horrifying attorney of the canadian journalist going to iran to cover the elections. bahari was in tehran,

documenting the riots over the outcome of the voting. while there, he was interviewed by the daily show. it was a comedy sketch about the elections. this is what we showed on comedy central. >> we headed to a coffee shop it were a clandenstein meeting by ba are hri. >> shortly after that interview, he was arrest bid the iranian police. he was beat and not brutalized by an interrogator he called rosewater because of his clone. it's seen as evidence in the scene where bahari is played by bernal. >> bahari said that he was forced to make a false

confession on tv. and he was released after four months in prison. bahari wrote a best-selling book about his experience, entitled, "then they came for me ♪ me." then the movie, one that john stewart directed. i met with them and asked why they want to make this film. >> as the definition of journalists, they are arrested more and more poem people. iran, egypt, the united states has its way of putting pressure on journalists, and this is happening. and i want to see if we can tell it in a way that did not limit it to just the eccentricities of one regime in one part of the world. >> you're a journalist who covers other people's stories, you go to prison, you write a book, you have a movie, what's this been like for you?

>> it has been a little bit -- to put it mildly, because usually when they make films about nelson mandel a. they're usually dead to start with, and then the good thing is that i'm not dead. i'm not mandela. >> your father was imprisoned, your sister imprisoned in iran, and didn't you worry about the fact that you might get into trouble. >> yes, you're worried, and you're thinking about it sometimes, but it cannot stop you from doing your job. i was very cautious. the people i worked with knew that i was very cautious, and i always respected the law, but i couldn't do anything when they had a scenario for me, when they had a plan. >> john, why did you decide to do this? >> well, i think that part of the reason, maziar's ability,

as he spoke earlier, he was trained to distance himself, so his observations in the memoir that he wrote was so keen and so layered. and he spoke about his family. the idea of generations lost to these oppressive regimes, whether they be a lie or not. his father was taken by the shah, who was the antidote to the shah, and it was still practicing the traditions that had been passed down from generations, and many of the revolution ears had been tortured by the shah, and then they themselves became the oppressors to the next level. so there are so many different and universal aspects to the story. >> i just want to go back to your appearance on the daily show. >> i asked him the question.

why was the country to terrified. >> they don't know the value of the other side, and how to talk to the other side. and i've written about that for the magazine several times. >> did you ever dream that that might be used against you? >> no, never. i had worked with many different broadcasters and had been on many shows and channels, and as i said, they wanted to implicate me because i worked with it in india. and producer jones, when i met them, unbeknownst to all of us, i was being monitored. and when they imprisoned me and they charged me with spying, and in the absence of any evidence because i was not a spy, they brought forward ridiculous evidence. >> like being on the daily show. >> this guy says that he's a

spy, he looks like a spy, smells like a spy, so he's a spy. >> you hear about this, and what goods through your head? >> well, we didn't hear about the part that they had shown him obviously interrogations. we did know that maziar had been repeated, along with other people who participated. >> did you worry that you might have had an impact on him? >> not so much that we had an impact on getting him arrested. only because of the context of what was happening in iran at that time, there was a tremendous amount of violence and a tremendous amount of crackdown, so we assumed that the people who would generally talk to us, were more than likely part of the reformist movement and more than likely, they will receive the brunt of the government's ire. but when you do a segment and you're in the editorial process, and you're sitting in a meeting, you have to ask the will this get somebody killed?

imprisoned? >> did you ever think about that? >> generally no. there are discussions sometimes, that's not fair, or that person, i think you don't want to. that person is -- that's a mistake, don't do that. repercussions, and the thing that you have to look at how do you live your life? i guess i have to do my job. how do you live your life to the level of those that would weaponnize something so stupid? >> so i watched you on his joe show and you talked about what happened to you, and the impression i get, i mean, you seem joyful, positive, energized, now that you're out. and it doesn't seem to be a lot of vindictiveness.

>> there's no point inning vindictive, anger, and of course, when that happened to me, i was angry, but you have to turn your bad experiences into something more positive. >> you did that with the book? >> in the book, with the campaign that we had with the film, and again, many of my friends and colleagues, who are going to through the same thing. >> at the did it even with his interrogators. they are humans, and he never portrays them as monsters. >> they were not monsters. they were torturing people. people torturing me, insulting me, and humiliating me, putting me in front of a camera for forced confessions, and those are bad things, but those are bad acts done by human beings.

>> is rosewater still alive and still around? >> yes, i'm sure that he's going to watch this motive and read the book. >> we'll have more of the interview withing john stewart and maziar bahari in a hue minutes, but thank you for being with us, and first of all, what's the climate for journalists in iran right now? >> well, it's one where there's a lot of threat and a lot of intimidation. i think that a lot of the media was very hopeful after president election last year, in the hopes that it would bring in a lot of reform and press freedom. we're not seeing that. just in july to august this year, we had several reformist journalists, who like to talk about social and cultural and progressive issues, many of

them were arrested and denied. and we haven't seen a drop-in this. >> clearly, this has a killing effect on the journalists doing their jobs, but where is the line? how do you know where the line is in. >> in iran, there's something we call red line, and that's journalists engaging in what could be called self censorship. knowing that if they engage in anything in a male way, it would have serious repercussions for them. politics, religion, all things that could land a journalist in very hot water. >> sometimes your government invites journalists in to talk to important people, but these days, how does the iranian government view foreign journalists? >> well, it's a complicated thing. you have the oppression of domestic media, but that

includes jason t. an iranian american, and people who work for bbc persia or other persian media out let's. they're under increasing pressure, and the families are threatened and intimidated back in iran, and many returned journalists, who had been in self imposed exile and returned after the inauguration, were brought in for progression and retailed. >> i listened last night speaking about this issue, and specifically about censorship of the internet. we believe that the internet is going to save a lot of these countries, freedom of the press, ushering the new openness, but now there's a censorship that goes on in a lot of these countries, controlling the internet. >> the situation in iran, many sites are filtered, and the iranian government has plans for a national internet.

if they launch the national internet, which they have been laying down the foundation to do so, they would have ultimate control over people's personal information, and what websites they wish to access >> so they have their own internet. >> that's the plan, not yet but it's coming. >> how difficult is it to do that? you say soon. >> a lot of countries have implemented it. china, and south korea even, but the key is not so much the implementation, but the fact of what they would be using that information for. if they have absolute control. if it's to surveil their citizens, that's a concern. >> absolute control. still ahead, john stewart and maziar bahari talk about sciencing journalists. >> you're not projecting instruct, it's weakness. >> the message about freedom of the press, and a personal story

of one of our own jailed in iran for 100 days. all of that is coming up.

>> jon stewart, the war on journalism. >> five years, ocsanna was thrown into an iranian prison. she was working as a freelance journalist and writing a book, and the iranians accused her of being a spy. here's her story in her own words. >> in 2009, i was arrested and put in prison for 100 days. i didn't know much about my iranian identity. so i wanted to move to iran to learn about that part of my history. and report from the country, because i knew it would be an important country for years to come. >> but supporters of the government say they're not

trying to reverse the achievements. >> i was trying to write a book about iran beyond the headlines. people that you don't usually hear about from the news. and i was working on that for about two years, when one morning, i was arrested. i was sleeping, and four men forced their way into my apartment. they were with iran's intelligence ministry, and they took me away. after going through my belongings, and they questioned me for several hours, and told me i was not cooperating, and took me to the most notorious prison in iran. they said that i was threatening national security and accused me of being a spy. i did confess to being a spy, under a great deal of pressure, though it was a false confession, because they promised they would free me, and i was too afraid of what would happen if i stayed. soon after, i recanted it, but i was sentenced to eight years in prison. i was put in solitary

confinement for two weeks and that was the most difficult farther because we as human beings need to interact with other human beings, and we start to go up and say. i had begun to realize that people outside of prison in other countries, the united states and other countries as well, were calling for my freedom. and that greatly empowered me, because i realized that i wasn't alone anymore. >> she's an american citizen, and i have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any sort of espionage. >> i think that all of this pressure added and up helped push the iranian authorities to release me after 100 days. i felt happy that i was free, and felt very happy that my parents would not have to suffer anymore because of my imprisonment. but at the same time, i felt very sad for the women i was leaving behind, because they deserve freedom as much as i do.

and two of them are still there today because of their religious beliefs. >> after ocsanna's release, jon stewart's movie, "rosewater," is the story of his arrest and time in prison. >> i was struck by the end of the film, that you ream wanted to make a statement about journalism around the world. can you talk about what that is? >> i think it was more -- if i was to say the statement of the unsustainability of the app rat uses that these regimes built, and all of the regimes built. the united states, we're moving to this strange deep state of security apparatus. to keep information that they don't want getting out getting out are more damaging to the state than any piece of information that could arise, and it's about the

sustainability. think of how hard, how much money, how much time, how much effort, how much human capital is exposed in trying to keep someone like magsiar from filming something. he didn't do anything, he filmed something. >> reporter: give us your reaction to what's going with journalists around the world, especially our friends anywhere an. >> we have a friend who does a satirical show similar to mine in egypt, who was arrested and harassed and was driven off the air, and he can no longer do the show there. this is the government that came in and said, we're going to listen to the will of the people. and yet they won't allow the people to speak up. they have arrested three of your colleagues, and the trial is to talk about absurdity. the evidence is of footage of arabian footage and bits and pieces of found footage, and it has no bearing on anything.

there's no accountability for what's going to happen to them. they have families who are powerless to get them out. this is an ally of the united states, we give them $1.5 billion a year in aid. and there has to be a method where we can get these political prisoners being held in these countries, get them some visibility and hopefully enough pressure on these regimes to get them released, there's no purpose in it, these people have done nothing. >> what did you think of the film when you first saw it? >> i was involved in writing the script. and i was on the set. and i saw the rough cut. and i think going back to your question, the film is about the democrat ace of information. and governments like iran, these regimes, they are regimes that can arrest people. and they can shut down

newspapers, blue when it comes to the internet, they resort to the 20th century method. like egypt, we cannot work the dvd player and show you the evidence that we have for the trial. and as a result, they look ridiculous, and that's where the humor in the film comes from. >> it's a powerful film. congratulations. >> thank you. >> "rosewater" opens in theaters this friday. we're back after this.

>> there are conflicting reports about jason. an american/iranian report reporter, was arrested in july, and he has not made an appearance in court. the iranians have accused him

of breaching state. they said that he could be released in a month. but a different official said that he won't be released until an investigation is complete. >> . >> jason's brother, ali, joins us from san francisco, and ali, welcome, and it's good to have you on the program. >> thanks john, thanks for having me. >> so do you understand why your brother is being held? >> they have never really told us why. there have been no specific allegations against him. so it's kind of a mystery as to what they think he has done. >> as far as you know, he has not been charged? >> that's correct. my understanding is that if he had been charged, he would have access to a lawyer and other activities have been going on. to this date, he has not had access it a lawyer, and it has not gone into court. and there are no charges pending right now, as far as we know. >> where are you getting your information? have you been in contact with him? >> i have not spoken to my

brother since the last week in july, before he was taken or it detained. we have several different sources that we believe are credible getting us information that's good information. >> so tell us about the conditions in which he's being held? >> so what we have been told, jason has been in solitary confinement since he was taken on july 22nd of this year. he has been interrogated, you know, between 6 and 8 hours a day or more, five days a week typically, and we don't really know what they're asking him about, but we do know that the conditions aren't ideal. and it's causing a number of health issues that he didn't have before. and we're starting to get concerned about. >> do you suspect -- some have suggested that he's a pawn in the power struggle between the united states and iran regarding their nuclear program. do you suspect that might be the case?

>> you know, i don't really know. what i will say is jason doesn't center anything to do with the u.s. government. he hasn't had any ties with the iranian government. and it's very cruel if that's the case. he's just a guy doing his job, a journalist like yourself, and he was trying to get a positive message about iran out to the world. and if that's the case, it's just very difficult to believe that that would be a good way of going about their diplomacy. >> tell me what this has been like for your family. >> it's really very difficult, obviously. my mom is living overseas, so we talk a lot. she has a great support structure, but it has become a new job. it's constantly, 24 hours a day, things going on, and what not, and we have been working with really good people that all want to help us out and help jason out and get him here, but it takes a toll.

>> can you tell us a little bit about your brother? >> sure, jason is a wonderful guy. he's the kind of guy that makes friends really easily wherever he goes. he has been fortunate to travel around the world and make friends, and wherever he goes, he was telling people that he lived in iran, and they ask, why do you live there? and he says, you should see it, it's a great place, and he loves the iranian culture and what it's like to live there, and it's really a very modern and complicated place. >> ali, what about the risks? did he talk about the risks of his job, and specifically about being in iran? >> you know, i think he talked about what -- how to mitigate the risks. jason talked a lot about the rules were, and he wanted to make sure that he followed the rules. there's a set of rules that journalists in iran, credentialed journalists need

to follow. and he was meticulous about doing that, and he wanted to make sure that he stuck to where he was supposed to be, going to those kinds of places and not cause my trouble that would start to trigger problems for him. >> well, ali, we sincerely hope that he comes home soon, and we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us about your brother. good luck. >> thank you so much, john. >> now to our colleagues in egypt, they're a big part of the war on journalism. the three journalists held in prison. peter, mohammed and bar, they have spent 118 days in jail. they have are not convicted of helping the muslim brotherhood, and aljazeera has denied those charges. they are scheduled to be in court on january 1st to appeal their conviction. that's our report, thank you for watching, i'm john seigenthaler.

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