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Society & Culture

“We Need Amir Home Now”

August 29, 2015
Natasha Schmidt,  
Natasha Bowler
4 min read
Amir with sister Sarah
Amir with sister Sarah
Amir with his father (left) and brother in-law Ramy (middle) at a family barbecue
Amir with his father (left) and brother in-law Ramy (middle) at a family barbecue
Amir with his mother at Thanksgiving in 2010
Amir with his mother at Thanksgiving in 2010

 

Fours years ago today, Amir Hekmati’s life took a significant turn for the worse. On August 29, 2011, Hekmati, a former US marine and US-Iranian dual national, was imprisoned in Iran on espionage charges. He has yet to be released. 

Over the past four years, he and his family have repeatedly stated that he is innocent of all charges. His family have done everything in their power to ensure his case is heard by the right people. Over the past few months, Hekmati has personally written to a number of senior Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, judiciary head Sadegh Larijani and Minister of Intelligence Mahmoud Alavi to describe his ordeal in prison —  an ordeal that has involved lashes, sleep deprivation and solitary confinement for a year. More recently , he called on Iranian authorities to deport him, saying he and other American prisoners were being used as “bargaining chips.” In April this year, he wrote a letter to members of the US Congress calling on them to help put an end to Iran’s “serial hostage-taking.” His sister, Sarah Hekmati, also wrote to Congress and said that her brother, “a proud veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps,” was “being held hostage by the regime.”

The recent nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 countries offered Hekmati, his family and other US-Iranian prisoners, including Jason Rezaian, renewed hope that negotiations would lead to their releases. But, as the weeks pass, that hope has turned to further frustration.

On the four-year anniversary of his incarceration, IranWire spoke to Hekmati’s sister, Sarah, about her brother’s continued imprisonment and the family’s hopes for the future. 

 

Amir has suffered from poor health in recent months, and has been on hunger strikes a number of times. What's the update on his health, physically and mentally? 

Amir is not well. He is very malnourished with a diet consisting of lentils and rice. He has a lot of digestive and respiratory issues because of this. He tries to remain hopeful, but it is difficult for him. He committed no crime and is marking his fourth year imprisoned in Evin. His main concern isn't for himself, but for our father, who is very ill. 

Now that a nuclear deal has been reached, what are your hopes, and Amir's hopes, on the case moving forward and further dialogue between officials opening? Have US officials and others championing his case (including Congressman Kildee) expressed optimism and said what they think or hope might happen next?  

We believe that right now is a historic time between the United States and Iran. These two countries are working with one another and have a direct relationship for the first time in over 30 years. We hope that this change is a step in a positive direction in bringing Amir home. 

How regularly are you able to speak with Amir? When was the last time you spoke to him?   

We went two years without any phone calls, then Amir was allowed sporadic phone calls. We are able to have monitored, five-minute phone calls with Amir on a more regular basis now, but that did not happen until this past year. My mom was able to speak to Amir today [August 28] and I was able to speak with him as well. I was able to tell him about our efforts to have a rally for his fourth year tomorrow and how the media has been keeping his story alive, as well as the fact that Secretary Kerry issued a statement calling on his release today. As daunting as it has been to receive his phone calls and not be able to give him hope that something substantial is happening toward his release, it is the least we can do to give him these updates to reassure him he is not forgotten. 

Amir has written several letters to high ranking officials in Iran, including President Rouhani and the head of the judiciary, Sadegh Larijani. Have you had any indication that any of these officials are moving forward on his case, especially now the situation looks to improve between Iran and the West?  

Unfortunately, we do not. One of the most difficult issues in dealing with Amir's imprisonment and our efforts for his release is the lack of communication and engagement with government officials. Amir has received no response to any of the letters he has written. Our attorney in Iran continues to appeal for his release and recently spoke with members of the foreign ministry and President Rouhani’s office and was reassured that they are working on his case. Our family has not directly received any indication of this, however. 

In terms of the family's own work to secure Amir's release, what are your next steps? 

The United Nations General Assembly is in September and we will be traveling to New York to attend in hopes of securing meetings to discuss Amir's imprisonment with representatives from around the world. We continue to urge Iran to release Amir on humanitarian grounds, by granting him amnesty for serving over a third of his sentence, or a conditional release. Our father's health is failing. He just entered assisted-living and requires 24-hour care. We need Amir home. Time is not on our side. 

 

Related articles:

Iran Weekly Wire Podcast: Roland Elliott Brown speaks to Sarah Hekmati

 

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