Baqer Namazi, Iranian-American Citizen, Transferred from Iranian Prison to Hospital

Reports indicate that Baqer Namazi, an 81-year-old Iranian-American citizen who traveled to Iran to save his son, who was also imprisoned, has been transferred to a hospital due to blood pressure and heart rate issues. Jared Genser, the lawyer for Mr. Namazi and his son Siamak, stated in a statement on Wednesday, January 17, that 'he (Baqer Namazi) has been interrogated for long hours, held in very unsuitable conditions, and spent long hours in solitary confinement.' According to Mr. Namazi's lawyer, he was initially sent to the hospital on Tuesday but was returned to prison due to inadequate facilities and was sent to another hospital in Tehran on Wednesday, where he is currently receiving treatment. This is the fourth time Mr. Namazi has been hospitalized since his arrest. He has been detained since February 2016 on charges of 'espionage.' This Iranian-American citizen has denied all charges against him. Last September, a pacemaker was installed for Baqer Namazi upon doctors' recommendations. Baqer Namazi, a former UNICEF employee, went to Tehran two years ago to visit his son Siamak, who was imprisoned, but was arrested himself, and both were sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of collaborating with 'hostile foreign governments.' Several other American citizens are currently imprisoned in Iran. Xiao Wang, a doctoral student from Princeton University who was researching in Iran, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for 'collaborating with a foreign government.' Karen Vafadari and her husband Afrin Niyasari, as well as Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen with permanent residency in the U.S., are imprisoned in Iran on various charges. In this context, the UN Secretary-General has called on Hassan Rouhani to release Baqer Namazi. A resolution has been passed in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the release of American prisoners in Iran. Nazanin Zaghari, according to her husband, has been accused of new crimes. The U.S. Senate has called for the release of American citizens imprisoned in Iran. A television documentary has been aired against two individuals accused of 'espionage' in Iran. Xiao Wang's research area was not 'classified.'