The U.S. Calls for the Release of Baqer and Siamak Namazi from Iranian Prisons

The U.S. Department of State and the Namazi family have reacted to the 10-year prison sentence of Baqer and Siamak Namazi issued by the Revolutionary Court, condemning it. In a statement released on Tuesday, October 19, the U.S. expressed 'deep concern' for the health of the father and son, describing their imprisonment in recent months as 'unjust.' The statement called on the Islamic Republic to 'immediately' release American prisoners in Iran. The U.S. Department of State also 'respectfully' emphasized the 'importance' of cooperation from the Islamic Republic 'with the U.S. to clarify the whereabouts of Robert Levinson.' Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent, went missing in 2007 on Kish Island, Iran, and there has been no reliable information on his whereabouts since. The Namazi family also issued a statement expressing that they were 'shocked' by the prison sentence of Baqer and Siamak Namazi. The statement noted that the 10-year prison sentence for Mr. Baqer Namazi, who is 80 years old, is akin to 'life imprisonment.' The Namazi family stated that the details of the charges remain unclear to them. In the statement signed by Babak Namazi, Baqer's son and Siamak's brother, it was mentioned that his brother's only crime was his activity 'against international sanctions on Iran.' The Iranian judiciary news agency previously reported that Mohammad Baqer and Siamak Namazi, Iranian-American citizens, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court. The Tehran prosecutor confirmed this report and announced the issuance of 10-year prison sentences for three other dual nationals. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, stated that the charges against Siamak and Baqer Namazi were for cooperating with the 'hostile U.S. government.' The prison sentences for these citizens were announced a day after a video of Siamak Namazi's arrest was released by the same news agency. The Mizan news agency confirmed the 10-year prison sentence for Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen residing in the U.S. Meanwhile, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi reported the conviction of three others named 'Farhad Abdolsaleh,' 'Kamran Ghaderi,' and 'Alireza Omidvar' for 'espionage and cooperation with the U.S. government,' stating that 'each of these defendants was sentenced to 10 years in prison.' According to Tasnim, he added that 'in the fields of security, economy, and finance, there are very important cases open in the Tehran prosecutor's office that cannot be detailed due to certain considerations.' Siamak Namazi, a former Iranian-American director of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum, was arrested last October during his visit to Iran. Four months later, his father, Mohammad Baqer Namazi, traveled to Iran to follow up on his son's situation but was also arrested and sent to Evin prison. In this context, Mohammad Ali's wife wrote a letter to the Supreme Leader of Iran calling for the release of the Namazis.