Kevin Dawes, an American from California, traveled to Syria in 2012 with hopes of a launching a career as a foreign correspondent. But shortly after crossing the border he was arrested and jailed for three-and-a-half years. And he hasn’t shared his story publicly until now.

NPR correspondent Deborah Amos interviewed Dawes about his nightmarish experience in a Syrian prison, how he’s seeking to bring the government to court, and how he hopes to help do the same for the family of a British doctor he met in the cell next to his.

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