Family of American Contractor Files Lawsuit Against Iran

Family members of an American government contractor who was kidnapped and subsequently killed by Houthi militants in Yemen have filed a lawsuit against the Iranian government. The complaint states that John Hamen was 'captured by the Houthis of Yemen, who are supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and was killed after eighteen days of torture.' Syria is also mentioned alongside Iran in the lawsuit as two states supporting terrorism and backing the Houthi militants. According to the family of John Hamen III, his colleague Mark McAllister was also held in dire conditions in Houthi custody, and after six months of captivity, he was finally handed over to U.S. officials. The website 'Courthouse News' reported on Tuesday that Mark McAllister and his family have joined this lawsuit, which was filed in a U.S. federal court last Friday, July 12. The lawsuit states that Mr. McAllister was repeatedly interrogated during his imprisonment, threatened multiple times, and deprived of basic rights. Courthouse News added that John Hamen III and Mark McAllister were transferred to Yemen by the United Nations to establish civilian facilities and arrived in the country on a UN aircraft. The report also states that the Islamic Republic of Iran regularly supports other governments, organizations, and terrorist and insurgent groups to achieve its clear policy objectives and destabilizes countries. Additionally, the Iranian government consistently transfers Houthi fighters to Syria for military training. A section of the 23-page complaint states that the capture of Hamen and McAllister by the Houthis was intended to pressure Saudi Arabia to stop bombing Yemen or to exchange them for some Houthis imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. The indictment also states that the two American citizens were captured on October 20, 2015, at Sana'a airport after disembarking from a special UN aircraft, and Mr. McAllister was held under inhumane conditions without the right to meet anyone, even without contact with U.S. consulate members, and during this time, he only saw sunlight three times. The manner of John Hamen's death is described in the complaint as death by strangulation. He is survived by a wife and seven children. The report concludes that the family’s legal team has also requested compensation and damages from the United Nations, but has not yet received a response. The U.S. Supreme Court, on the first day of Ordibehesht, rejected the Central Bank of Iran's appeal, ruling that $2 billion of Iran's frozen assets must be paid to the families of American victims of the 1983 bombing at the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and other Iran-related attacks. In this regard, U.S. courts have issued judgments against Iran totaling '56 billion dollars' for compensation. Iran has officially complained to the U.S. regarding the seizure of $2 billion of its assets.