Baqer Namazi, Iranian-American prisoner, granted 'four-day' leave

Jared Genser, the American lawyer for Baqer and Siamak Namazi, has announced that Baqer Namazi has been granted a four-day leave due to concerns about his health. Mr. Genser, who is following his clients' case from Washington, stated in a statement on Sunday that he is still unaware of the reasons behind the Iranian government's decision for Mr. Namazi's four-day leave, "but it is clear that his return to Evin prison would be tantamount to a death sentence." He added that based on humanitarian issues, Baqer Namazi's leave should be permanent. Baqer Namazi, an 81-year-old Iranian-American citizen, went to Iran to save his imprisoned son Siamak and ended up in prison himself. He was recently transferred to the hospital due to blood pressure and heart rate problems. He has been in prison since February 2016 and has been hospitalized four times in nearly two years, and in September of this year, a pacemaker was installed for his heart at the recommendation of doctors. Mr. Namazi's health status has raised concerns among many international organizations and figures, and in September of this year, the UN Secretary-General called for his release during a conversation with Hassan Rouhani at the UN General Assembly. Baqer Namazi, a former UNICEF employee, went to Tehran two years ago to visit his son Siamak, who had been imprisoned, but was arrested himself, and both were sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly collaborating with "hostile foreign governments." In the meantime, Jared Genser, who also represents Siamak Namazi, emphasized the need to resolve the issues of Siamak Namazi and other Americans who are wrongly imprisoned in Iran. In addition to Baqer and Siamak Namazi, several other American citizens are currently imprisoned in Iran, including Xiyou Wang, a PhD student from Princeton University who was researching in Iran and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "collaborating with a foreign government." Karen Vafadari and her husband Afrin Niyasari, as well as Nizar Zaka, a Lebanese citizen with permanent residency in the U.S., are imprisoned in Iran on various charges. However, the detention of dual nationals in Iran is not limited to Iranian-American citizens; Iran also detains citizens with citizenship or residency permits from Britain and other Western countries. Analysts believe that the Islamic Republic uses dual nationals as bargaining chips for negotiations with Western parties, and the release of four Iranian-American citizens on the eve of the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement, coinciding with the repayment of an old debt owed to Iran by the U.S., has fueled such speculations. Recently, following reports about negotiations between Iran and Britain for the repayment of an old debt owed to Tehran by London, speculation has intensified regarding the potential release of Nazanin Zaghari if this repayment is finalized. The manner of the release of American citizens coinciding with the repayment of Iran's debt on the eve of the implementation of the JCPOA is one of the main criticisms from opponents of the Iran nuclear deal in the U.S., who believe this encourages Iran to engage in further "hostage-taking." U.S. President Donald Trump had previously warned Iran in July of this year, mentioning Babak and Siamak Namazi, that if it does not release American citizens imprisoned in the country, it will face serious and new consequences.