US Investigates Possible Execution of Iranian-American in Iran

Following reports of the execution of an Iranian-American citizen in Iran, the US State Department announced that it is seeking information regarding the fate of this individual. On Tuesday, December 10, Associated Press reported that Mark Toner, a spokesperson for the State Department, stated that the department became aware of the detention of a person named Hamid Samiei and his sentencing to death in late October, a month ago. According to Mr. Toner, the US attempted to prevent the execution of Mr. Samiei through the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents US interests in Iran. The spokesperson emphasized that the US cannot yet confirm Mr. Samiei's execution but is working to learn about his fate. The Iran Human Rights Organization, a group monitoring human rights conditions in Iran based in Oslo, Norway, previously reported that Hamid (Sam) Samiei, an Iranian-American man, was executed on Wednesday, November 13, along with another inmate in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. According to this report, Mr. Samiei was arrested in 2008 after returning to Iran for the murder of another Iranian named Behrouz (Bruce) Jan-Mohammadi in California. He was then tried in Branch 71 of the Iranian Criminal Court and sentenced to death. The website of the Iran Human Rights Organization quoted a relative of Hamid Samiei stating that Tehran's police had subjected him to 'severe torture.' This individual added that even the US police had deemed Mr. Jan-Mohammadi's murder as 'self-defense,' and the Iranian judge had seen this report, yet still issued Mr. Samiei's death sentence. Iran has one of the highest execution rates in the world.