Kamran Hekmati didn’t have considerations about going to Iran earlier this yr for what was alleged to be a short journey.
Hekmati, who’s Iranian-American and Jewish, had traveled there quite a few occasions with household, and he isn’t a political particular person, household members instructed NCS.
But the 70-year previous was arrested and sentenced to jail time by Iranian authorities for visiting Israel 13 years in the past for his son’s bar mitzvah, based on household members who spoke to NCS.
They requested to not be recognized for worry of retaliation in opposition to Hekmati.
Hekmati is suffering from bladder cancer and is presently detained in Tehran’s infamous Evin Prison. Although an attraction has been filed, his household is significantly involved about his well being.
The United States doesn’t have a diplomatic presence on the floor in Iran, and Switzerland which represents US pursuits there, has not been allowed entry to him, his household mentioned.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents Hekmati’s state, referred to as on the State Department to “urgently work toward the release” of his constituent. The New York Democrat mentioned Hekmati ought to be launched “immediately on humanitarian grounds.”
According to household members, Hekmati was stopped at the airport when he sought to return residence to New York in May. Authorities seized his passport and searched his telephone and social media accounts. In the subsequent months, Hekmati was blocked from leaving the nation and interrogated.
In July, round the time of the so-called “Twelve Day War” between Israel and Iran, Hekmati was arrested, household members mentioned.
He was sentenced, with out authorized illustration, to 4 years in jail below a legislation prohibiting Iranian passport holders from touring to Israel. According to his household, which has since employed a lawyer, the punishment below the legislation was modified just a few weeks later, and his sentence was diminished to 2 years.
Family members mentioned he had photos of the journey on his Facebook.
Although Hekmati is a US citizen, Iran doesn’t acknowledge twin nationality. Tehran has a protracted historical past of imprisoning Americans and the US State Department has warned that “anyone with a U.S. connection, including dual U.S.-Iranian nationals, is at significant risk of questioning, arrest, and detention in Iran.”
Asked about Hekmati’s case, a State Department spokesperson mentioned they have been unable to touch upon particular person circumstances as a consequence of “safety and privacy considerations.”
“We continue to engage with allies and partners on this issue and on cases of unjust detention in Iran in general,” they mentioned.
Suozzi, in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, described Hekmati as “a respected and active member of our community.”
“This case has deeply alarmed my constituents, particularly within the large Persian Jewish community on Long Island, and among his colleagues in the government of the Village of Great Neck Estates where he serves on the Zoning Board of Appeals,” he wrote.
Family members described him as a loving father, grandfather, and husband.