US Ambassador to the UN Calls for the Release of Siamak and Baqer Namazi

Nikki Haley, the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, described the detention of political prisoners as 'one of the worst human rights violations' and called on Iran to release Siamak and Baqer Namazi, 'two American citizens' imprisoned in Iran. In a brief statement published early Friday on Haley's Twitter account, the senior US diplomat emphasized that imprisoning political prisoners is one of the worst human rights violations a country can commit, and Iran has committed this act by detaining two American citizens. Haley noted that on Thursday, June 15, she met with Babak Namazi, whose 81-year-old father and brother are imprisoned in Iran. She added that referring to Baqer Namazi's cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, she stated that if Iran wants to have 'credibility in the world,' it must allow Baqer and Siamak to return home. Haley stressed that no family should have to experience the conditions that the Namazi family has endured. Siamak Namazi, 46, a former Iranian-American director of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum, was arrested during a trip to Iran in October 2015, and four months later, his father, Mohammad Baqer Namazi, who traveled to Iran to follow up on his son's situation, was also arrested and sent to Evin Prison. Both of these Iranian-American citizens have been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Recently, in May of this year, as the US was preparing for the first time since Donald Trump's rise to power to engage in negotiations related to the nuclear deal with Iran and other countries involved in the agreement, the Namazi family's lawyer urged the Trump administration to pressure Iran on this matter during the JCPOA negotiations. On May 26, 2017, Jared Genser, the Namazi family's lawyer, who traveled to Vienna with Babak Namazi for the negotiations, expressed concern about the health of the two and urged the US delegation to emphasize their release during the talks. Discussions regarding the Namazis' situation were later confirmed by both the US State Department and the Iranian Foreign Ministry. In this context, on May 28, Mark Toner, spokesperson for the US State Department, stated that American diplomats had discussed the release of imprisoned Americans in Iran during one of their meetings with their Iranian counterparts. A few days later, on June 1, Bahram Qasemi, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, confirmed the discussion of Iranian-American prisoners in the JCPOA-related negotiations but simultaneously stated that there were no instructions to discuss issues outside of the JCPOA with the Americans. On June 5 of this year, several members of the US House of Representatives urged the Trump administration to take specific actions for the 'unconditional release' of current Iranian-American prisoners in Iran. In a draft resolution presented by lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties, it was requested that the Trump administration take actions leading to the release of dual nationals and those who have residency permits in the US and 'have been imprisoned in Iran for political reasons.' The members of the House of Representatives reminded that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has 'taken hostage' Siamak Namazi, Baqer Namazi, Karan Vafadari, and a fourth citizen whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, as well as two others who have permanent residency in the US; Afrin Niasari and Nizar Zaka. They called on countries whose citizens are imprisoned in Iran, including the UK, France, Germany, Canada, and others, to join efforts for the release of their citizens by forming a united front. In this context, several US senators called for information regarding the prisoner exchange process with Iran. Iran confirmed the discussion of Iranian-American prisoners in the recent JCPOA negotiations. 'The first direct negotiation' of the Trump administration with Iran took place on the sidelines of the JCPOA meeting, increasing efforts for the release of two Iranian-American prisoners. The Namazi family's lawyer called for US pressure on Iran for the release of his clients. The families of Baqer and Siamak Namazi requested help from Donald Trump.