Efforts for the Release of Kamal Faroghi, 77-Year-Old Iranian-British Citizen

The son of a 77-year-old Iranian-British citizen who has been imprisoned for over five years on charges of espionage at Evin Prison says that his years of efforts to free his father have been fruitless. Kamran Faroghi, in New York, attempted to secure the conditional release of his father Kamal Faroghi through President Hassan Rouhani but says he was unable to meet with the Iranian president. Mr. Faroghi, who was born to an English mother and has lived in London, explains the reason for his third trip to New York: 'I have come to New York to submit a letter to the Iranian delegation at the United Nations so that they can deliver it to Mr. Rouhani, the president. This letter is essentially a repeated request for the release of my 77-year-old father from Evin Prison. He is an elderly man with cataracts in both eyes and has a concerning physical condition, and if he does not receive treatment, he may go blind in prison.' He continues, 'The main question is what charges my father, Mr. Kamal Faroghi, was arrested and imprisoned for. I believe today marks 1967 days since May 2011. Unfortunately, we have never been told why my father was arrested and imprisoned. What we know today is that he was tried three years ago and sentenced to seven years in prison for espionage. Now, after 5 years and 4 months, we have requested that he be released and returned to his family. I have been in almost constant contact with the Iranian delegation at the UN for about a year, and last year I attended a gathering in this city where Mr. Rouhani and a number of Iranians were present, at the invitation of Iranian officials, to submit a similar letter to the president and request my father's release and attention to his illnesses.' Regarding contact with his father, Mr. Faroghi states, 'We had no contact with him for three years. That period was very difficult. In the summer of 2014, he gained the right to contact us. My father has always had a lawyer, but access to his lawyer was very limited and difficult before the trial. Given that my father has been eligible for conditional release for over two years, his lawyer has submitted more than 50 applications regarding this to the judiciary. Unfortunately, no written response has been received. It is usually said to the lawyer that the judiciary officials are familiar with his client's case and are trying to resolve it. They have previously stated several times that he would be released on a certain date, but it did not happen, and we do not know the reason for that, which imposes a difficult emotional situation. It creates hope and then takes it away. It is very hard to bear. Have you ever thought about contacting the judiciary officials directly? We have been writing letters to the judiciary and other government organizations since early 2014, but unfortunately, we have never received any formal response. In December 2014, Dr. Larijani, the head of the Human Rights Council of the judiciary, sent me a message through the British Foreign Office stating that the judiciary wanted to resolve my father's case and that officials were willing to meet with me in Tehran. In response, I welcomed this offer but mentioned that I have a wife and two small daughters, and taking care of them does not allow for a long trip to Iran. However, I am ready to meet during one of your trips to Europe. I knew that Dr. Larijani travels to Europe several times a year, especially to Geneva. Unfortunately, after that, no contact was made with me. I have written several other letters to Dr. Larijani in the past two years and still received no response. I do not know why such a proposal is made but not carried out. Enduring this situation is very hard.