Siamak Namazi

Siamak Namazi is an Iranian-American businessman. He was arrested and sentenced to prison on charges of collaborating with hostile countries. Before his arrest, he was the director of the strategic planning office of "Crescent" oil company.

He holds Iranian and U.S citizenship and is the Director of the Office of Strategic Planning of the Cresent Petroleum Company, and is a well known Iranian-American. He is also an important member of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), an organization dedicated to better relations between Iran and the U.S. <symbol-timeline></symbol-timeline>

<coverage-outsourcing id='7254'> The Vice Chairman of Article 90 Commission in the Iranian Parliament responded to criticism regarding 2009 by naming Siamak Namazi among other individuals that he claimed collaborated with "the west" in order to "manage the 2009 insurrection". This report identifies Namazi as an agent of the National Endowment for Democracy organization, who supported this "insurrection" financially. "Insurrection" is a term that the IRI uses to refer to the 2009 protests </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7253'> Iran’s security-affiliated media has been particularly sensitive about him, his affiliates, and companies related to them during the past several years. Although this media have occasionally quoted him and his affiliates as opponents of sanctions against Iran, particularly as pertained shortage of medicines in Iran (e.g. see Mashregh report on August 19, 2013), in several instances they have referred to them as “oil middlemen” (Vatan-e Emrooz, February 13, 2014), “servants of the U.S. Treasury Department” (Vatan-e Emrooz, June 5, 2016), “great jobbers” (Jaam News, October 27, 2015), “in line with the sedition” and “anti-revolutionary” (Young Journalists Club, November 29, 2012), and “venal” (Amarioon, Jul 9, 2016) </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7259'> “Our President,” a website close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote that Siamak Namazi was cooperating with Gary Sick in the Gulf 2000 Project against Iran </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7264'> In a long report, Kayhan Newspaper made allegations about Hashemi Rafsanjani’s non-financial activities. A part of this report focused on his relations with Siamak Namazi </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7249'> According to some media, he had traveled to Iran to visit with his parents when he was banned from leaving Iran </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8315'> The defendant was arrested by agents of the IRGC. He was repeatedly summoned to come in for questioning from January of this year. While news outlets close to the government claim that his arrest was related to security issues, many believe that his arrest was a tool for hardliners to control and endanger the negotiations between Iran and the west, in order to scare other business people associated with the west and to deter foreign investors from coming to Iran </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7336'> Citing its own sources, Taghato website reported the arrest of Siamak Namazi at his family home in Tehran. Taghato wrote that Namazi was arrested ten days ago and that after commandeering his email, the IRGC had tried to send files and contaminated links to his friends in order to hack the accounts of his friends and colleagues. A few days later, on October 30, 2015, Reuters published news of Mr. Namazi’s arrest. Many sources mistakenly referred to Reuters as the first source to publish news of his arrest </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7326'> Politico wrote that Siamak Namazi traveled to Iran to attend a funeral when he realized he was unable to leave the country </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7324'> Five U.S. citizens imprisoned in Iranian prisons were released and allowed to travel to Switzerland. Four of these individuals were released within the framework of a prisoner exchange. At first his name was included in the list provided by the media--including the official state news agency, IRNA-- as one of the swapped prisoners, but after some time IRNA apologized for the mistake and stated that Siamak Namazi’s name had been published by mistake in place of the name of Nosratollah Khosravi Roudsari </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7323'> “The Namazi case is predicted to be definitely more complex than Jason Rezaian’s case,” wrote Mashregh News Agency, an outlet close to security organizations </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7325'> Politico website published a letter signed by five Iranian-American groups addressed to John Kerry, in which they asked him to put pressure on the Iranian government for the release of Siamak Namazi. They wrote in the letter that, "Siamak Namazi has committed no crime. He was simply doing what he loved: building bridges between Iran and the Western world. The letter was signed by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans; the Pars Equality Center; the National Iranian American Council; Iranian Alliances Across Borders; and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7337'> Afi Namazi, the wife of Mohammad Bagher and the mother of Siamak Namazi, was able to visit with these individuals before the New Years' holiday </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7343'> Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai informed Iranwire that Siamak Namazi and Isa Saharkhiz are being held in the same cell in the IRGC's Ward 2A in Evin Prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7321'> The defendant's attorney, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the defendant's family believe he will be charged with "Collaboration with enemy states". The determination of what constitutes as an enemy state is made by the "National Security Council" and previous inquiries into this matter have revealed that the council does not currently consider any nation to be in this category. According to information gathered by the "Iran Prisoner Atlas" on this issue, the Judiciary has charged many defendants with this charge despite the National Security Council's stance and has been sentencing these individuals with sentences of 5-10 years </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5344'> His lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that his client has been under interrogations for the past five months, and not only has he not been allowed to visit with his client, the officials had refused to accept his power of attorney document in the case. He added that during the negotiations for the release of Iranian-American prisoners, his client’s name had also been mentioned </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7257'> Effie Namazi, mother of Siamak Namazi, wrote on her Facebook page that her son is on a hunger strike. She asked the officials to at least allow her and her husband to meet with him in order to ask him to break his hunger strike. “Unfortunately, despite orders by the Supervising Judge of the security prison, I have not been able to meet with Siamak. His lawyer has not been able to meet him, either,” she wrote </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7258'> In a Facebook post Effie Namazi, Siamak Namazi’s mother wrote about her son’s hunger strike, she mentioned someone who is a cellmate to Mr. Namazi. According to this post it appears that Mr. Namazi is no longer held in solitary confinement </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7335'> Effie Namazi wrote on her Facebook page that her son informed her in a telephone call that he has ended his hunger strike </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7322'> His father, Mohammad Bagher Namazi, who had come to Iran to pursue his case was arrested </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7255'> In a political commentary, Kayhan Newspaper, one of the most influential security media in Iran, wrote that Siamak Namazi’s objective for returning to Iran was “to manage the country’s infiltration network, after several heads of the US State Department’s Entrepreneurship Project were arrested in Iran.” </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7327'> Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje’i, the Judiciary Spokesperson, said that according to law, lawyers representing defendants in security cases must be approved by the Head of the Judiciary and this process has not been enforced in Namazi’s case yet. Ejehi emphasized that Iran does not recognize dual citizenship and that there is “one law for all suspects.” </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7341'> Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, who handles many political case in Iran, informed the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran thath MOhammad Bagher and Siamak Namazi are being held in the same cell in Ward 2A of Evin Prison, which is known to belong to the IRGC. He later corrected his statements in an interview with Iranwire, where he stated that they were being held in two separate cells </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7340'> John Kirby replied to an email from a French news agency in which he described his concern over reports of the arrests of Siamak and Mohammad Bagher Namazi. He called for their immediate release and stated: > We have no news of the charges being levied against Siamak and Bagher Namazi and believe that their arrests are unjust </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8316'> The Judiciary's Spokesman stated on the potential trade of Siamak Namazi and his father for Ahmad Sheikhzadeh: > Nothing official has been relayed to the Judiciary considering this issue and all I've heard has been rumors here and there </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5692'> His lawyer Alizadeh Tabatabai said that the Judiciary has not accepted his representation of Siamak Namazi yet, and he has not been able to visit with him or review his case file </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8314'> Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai was quoted as saying in an interview with Tasnim: > Finally my representation of the client has been accepted and the agreement between me and my client is set to be signed . He continued to say that there are no new developments in this case </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7256'> Jahan News, a news website close to Iranian government’s security organizations, quoted a source to say that, “Last July, American officials offered releasing some of the frozen Iranian assets in the US in return for the political suspect Siamak Namazi, who holds dual Iranian-American citizenship, to be released without convening a court or reviewing his charges.” </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8312'> The US Department of State issued a statement condemning the arrest of Siamak Namazi, Homa Houdfar, Nazanin Zaghari, and Nezar Zaka, all of whom are dual nationals. This department called their arrests unjust and requested that they all be released immediately </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7250'> According to Radio Farda quoting Reuters, a Democratic and a Republican representative submitted a resolution for approval to the Congress, in which they demanded the immediate and unconditional release of imprisoned Iranian-American citizens Siamak and Bagher Namazi </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7328'> Referring to the most important cases of the past two weeks in which indictments had been issued at the Tehran Courts, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, Prosecutor for Tehran’s General and Revolutionary Courts, included his case in the list </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8514'> US State Department published a statement warning US citizens, particularly those with Iranian-American dual citizenship, about traveling to Iran and “unjustly” detained.. “Arresting US Citizens is a priority for Iranian Government,” said the statement. Earlier, in February 2016, the State Department had issued a similar warning </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8782'> Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commision, said about the Commission’s meeting with IRGC Intelligence Organization Commanders, “At this meeting, it was said that dual citizens are seriously considered by enemy intelligence services, and are utilized in the ‘infiltration’ project.” In the language of those affiliated with the Iranian government, “the infiltration project,” refers to political, social, cultural, and in some cases economic ties between Iran and the west following the nuclear agreement </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9140'> “Ratcliffe’s conviction and sentencing on unclear charges without any semblance of a fair trial is what amounts to ‘justice’ in Iran’s notorious revolutionary courts,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director of Human Rights Watch in a press release, demanding her release. The press release added that Ms. Zaghari’s lawyer had only been able to see her for the first time three days before her trial and three months after her arrest and after her interrogations had ended. The press release further added that the lawyer for imprisoned Robin Shahini had not been able to review the evidence against his client, naming other individuals holding dual citizenships who have been imprisoned in Iran such as Homa Hoodfar, Siamak Namazi, Mohammad Bagher Namazi, Jason Rezaian, and Kamal Foroughi. “The jump in prosecutions of Iranian dual nationals appears to reflect efforts by government hard-liners to keep Iran isolated from the global community. Individuals should not have to suffer unjust prison terms because of a country’s internal politics,” Whitson added </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9818'> In a letter to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali's wife requested the release of Siamak and Mohammad Bagher Namazi </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9821'> According to Radio Farda, families of Siamak and Mohammad Bagher Namazi informed the media that their trial has been held in mid-September and was presided by judge Salavati </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9724'> Ahmad Shahid asked the Iranian government to release all the prisoners with dual citizenships. Noting unacceptable conditions of Nazanin Zaghari, Bagher Namazi, and Kamal Foroughi, Ahmad Shahid declared that convicting these people based on crimes that are concealed even from the accused and their attorneys is making a mockery of justice </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10231'> In an interview with NPR, Babak Namazi said Siamak and Bagher Namazi are innocent. He said Siamak's reason for travelling to Iran was to "bring his professional and commercial experience and knowledge to Iran and he intended to convince Iranian officials to do economic deals with the United States for the sake of Iranian people during the sanctions" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9785'> The States Department of United States condemned the sentences issued for Siamak and Mohammad Bagher Namazi. International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran issued a statement asking the judiciary to release Mohammad Bagher and Siamak Namazi and provide them with opportunity for defense in their appeal trial </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10152'> According to Fars, Abbas jafari Dolat Abadi, Attorney General of Tehran, while noting that there are important security, economic, and financial cases open at Tehran court whose details cannot be disclosed due to some considerations, announced that Bagher and Siamak Namazi, Farhad AbdeSaleh, Kamran Ghaderi, Nezar Zaka, and Ali Reza Omidvar have each been sentenced to ten years in prison on the charges of "Espionage and cooperation with American government" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10155'> Nasim Online claimed that Bagher and Siamak Namazi, Farhad Abdesaleh, Kamran Ghaderi, Nezar Zaka, and Ali Reza Omidvar have received over 4 million and 800 thousand dollars from enemy governments for executing their projects, and by judicial verdict they are obligated to surrender this amount. Meanwhile, in 2015 the supreme court had issued a verdict regarding Omid Kokabi's case which stated that currently there are no countries in conflict with Iran, and conflict does not mean political disagreements with other countries, and that the court has misinterpreted the term </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10161'> The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran stated that: > Any attempts made to relate Iran's domestic affairs, such as the independent judicial verdicts of Iranian courts against criminals and foreign spies, to the international business and investments in Iran is a futile and unprovoked effort to impact the international community's cooperation with the Islamic Republic." He also referred to United States' condemnation of Mohammad Bagher and Siamak Namazi's verdicts as "foolish and called it another example of United State's interfering nature </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10143'> According to Khaneh Mellat news agency the official organ of the congress, Abolfazl Abootorabi, the congressman from Najaf Abad said: > The arrival of Siamak Namazi and Mohammad Bagher Namazi in various areas of the state" was in fact "one of the infiltration projects of the enemy", and they were "among great infiltration generals of United States" and "had a very especial position in the White House and for the American presidents </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10514'> BBC Persian reported that more than fifty university professors and political figures from across the world have asked for the release of Mohammad Bagher and Siamak Namazi in an open letter. Among the signatories are MIT professor Noam Chomsky and former EU foreign policy secretary Javier Solana </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14974'> Radio Farda reported that the Namazi family has asked the Trump administration for help and has described their “constant state of fear,” uncertainty, and lack of news, regarding these two members of their family </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14990'> Radio Zamaneh reported that Jared Janser, the human rights lawyer, and Babak Namazi, asked Donald Trump, in a press event, to have a US negotiating team discuss the freedom of Siamak and Bagher Namazi with the Iranian government, and to personally, feel responsibility towards these two individuals </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15100'> Mark Toner, the US, State Department, spokesman, asked Iran, in a statement, to release Siamak and Bagher Namazi on humanitarian grounds </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='17066'> Voice of America Persian reported that American diplomats on the sidelines of the Barjam Commission (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Commission) with their Iranian peers, once again, asked for the freedom of American prisoners </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15265'> Some of the representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties of America, asked president Trump’s government to pressure Iran to release American citizens or permanent residents: Siamak Namazi, Mohammad Bagher Namazi, Nizar Zakka, Afarin Nassiri, Robert Levinson and Karen Vafadari. One other person has been named in this bi-partisan statement but the name has been withheld because of the family’s wishes </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='16153'> Nikki Haley, the US representative to the United Nations, posted the news of her meeting with Babak Namazi on twitter, writing, “arrest of political prisoners is the worst violation of human rights” and “if Iran wants any respect in the international community, she should allow Bagher and Siamak Namazi to return home” </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='17356'> According to International Human Rights Campaign in Iran, the representatives of the US Congress issued Resolution 317 and demanded the release of the citizens of this country, Siamak and Bagher Namazi and Karen Vafadari, as well as the permanent residents of the United States, Afarin Nisari and Nizar Zakar. In this resolution, they have mentioned another American prisoner whose identity has not been disclosed [may be Ziyu Wang] and the need to pressure the Iranian government to find out the location of Robert Levinson. "The approval of this resolution is a strong message to the Iranian government that its ugly actions to gain privileges through the illegal imprisonment of American citizens and residents will not work." </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='17070'> Heather Nauert, the US State Department spokesman, asked for the freedom of Xiyue Wang, Bagher and Siamak Namazi and the other unjustly detained prisoners </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='17191'> “Asr-e-Iran” reported that the US government issued a statement calling for the release of American prisoners in Iran. The statement states that "for forty years, hostage-taking has been used as a political solution in Iran, and the latest example is the 10-year prison sentence for Xiyue Wang." The statement warned Iran that it would be "punished" if it refrained from releasing prisoners. Mr Trump also called for the release of Robert Levinson. Shortly thereafter, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the White House statement as "interference in internal affairs" and called on the United States to release Iranian prisoners. Mr. Ghasemi also said that the Islamic Republic "does not have any new knowledge" about the fate of Robert Levinson </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='17237'> According to Voice of America, Namazi, Levinson, and Zaka families testified in one of the sub-committees of the US House of Representatives and said "Tehran uses them to get political and financial points". </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='18712'> According to reports, the Court of Appeal rejected the appeal of Siamak and Mohammad Bagher Namazi and confirmed the verdict of Nizar Zaka. Siamak Namazi's lawyer told the Associated Press that his client was "brutally interrogated and beaten." </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='19019'> CNN asked about foreign nationals and dual citizens detained in Iranian jails. Rouhani said in an aside that he had his own views on the subject of detained foreigners and dual citizens, but that he was obliged to follow the Iranian constitution which had enshrined the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='19038'> In part of his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, the President of the United States strongly criticized the Iranian government and called for the release of foreign and dual-citizen prisoners. The United Nations Work Group on Arbitrary Detention also asked the Islamic Republic to release Bagher and Siamak Namazi. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='19706'> The American Senate passed Resolution 245 asking the government to prioritize the freedom of “American hostages” in Iran. At the same time, Thomas Reuters Foundation published an official letter denying the claim that Ms Zaghari was “teaching journalism”. IPA will, from now on, not record the opinions of political figures and human rights groups in connection with this case in this profile page, rather, it will, only on special occasions, record the statement of human rights organizations and politicians </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='41924'> <reference source='https://www.radiofarda.com/a/baquer-namazi-again-requires-urgent-surgery/32021310.html'> According to Radio Farda, the case of Mohammad Bagher Namazi was closed by the judiciary in early 2019 and he was officially released from prison. The details of the event are not mentioned in Radio Farda's report; But the report mentions that despite not returning to prison since 2018, Mr. Namazi has been banned from leaving the country and is not able to complete the treatment and surgery outside of Iran. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='33083'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1316014506619801600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1316014506619801600%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3%2Ccontainerclick_0&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.radiozamaneh.com%2F544980'> US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, posted a tweet pointing out that five years have passed since the arrest of Siamak Namazi and demanded the release of Siamak Namazi, Bagher Namazi, and Murad Tahbaz, three political prisoners with dual citizenship in Iran, and announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran should "stop its immoral act". </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='33095'> <reference source='https://iranwire.com/fa/features/42113'> According to IranWire, Siamak Namazi has lost the ability to walk properly and wants to file a complaint against an Islamic Republic official. Mohammad Hossein Aghassi, the attorney of Siamak Namazi, also wrote on Twitter: > Siamak Namazi has started the sixth year of his sentence. During five years of imprisonment, he was not allowed furlough even for a single day. While he has the right to go on furlough for three days every month. Despite the necessity of treatment outside the prison, my efforts have been ineffective so far. With his request, I will soon request the prosecution of an official. The identity of this official has not been revealed yet. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='33653'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/letters/a-833/'> Siamak Namazi released a letter addressed to Sourena Sattari, Vice President for Science and Technology, in which he protested the gross mistake of the security agency opposing the plans of this official regarding his role in these plans, and demanded that this official break the silence regarding the nature of Siamak Namazi's activities before his arrest. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='37851'> <reference source='https://www.bbc.com/persian/blog-viewpoints-59654026'> Mahdi Mahmoudian, a political activist imprisoned in Evin prison, discussed the details of Siamak Namazi's case in a note. According to this note, Siamak Namazi did not have any job or position in any government, quasi-government, or public institution before his arrest. Also, he did not have access to documents, evidence, or confidential information and had no contact with Iran except for family trips. According to Mr. Mahmoudian's letter, many of the actions mentioned in the indictment of Siamak Namazi date back to 2006, which were previously investigated by the security agencies and cleared of any charges. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='40901'> <reference source='https://ir.voanews.com/a/us-voa-emad-sharqi-wife-bahareh-release-hostage-mural/6667019.html'> According to Voice of America, a mural with pictures of 18 American citizens who are imprisoned or taken hostage outside this country was unveiled in Washington. In this mural, the faces of five American citizens named Siamak Namazi, Bagher Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, Emad Sharghi, and Shahab Dalili, who are imprisoned in Iran, can also be seen. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='41923'> <reference source='https://cutt.ly/3C1lCTs'> Jared Genser, the attorney of the Namazi family, announced on Twitter the necessity of immediate surgery for Mohammad Bagher Namazi. Mr. Genser quoted Mohammad Bagher Namazi's family as saying that according to the diagnosis of several neurologists, he should undergo surgery in the next few weeks to remove the blockage in the left carotid artery. Jared Genser reported that Namazi's family has asked the responsible institutions in Iran to allow furlough for Siamak Namazi, the son of Mr. Mohammad Bagher Namazi, who is imprisoned in Iran so that he can be with his father during surgery and take care of him during his recovery. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='42362'> <reference source='https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran-63102288'> Mohammad Bagher Namazi was allowed to leave Iran and Siamak Namazi went on furlough. According to BBC Persian, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman of Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations released a statement that reads: > The Secretary-General is very grateful that Iran allowed the departure of our former colleague Bagher Namazi after his request to Ebrahim Raisi. BBC Persian also quoted Namazi's family lawyer as saying that Siamak Namazi was sent on a one-week leave. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='42500'> <reference source='https://www.radiofarda.com/a/32068024.html'> In an interview with Radio Farda, Jared Ganser, the lawyer of the Namazi family, denied the speculations about permission to leave Iran being issued for Mohammad Bagher Namazi in exchange for the release of the country's blocked financial resources in South Korea and called it "stupid". He said that the American government has not paid any money to the Islamic Republic for the release of his client from prison and a permit to leave Iran. In response to the question, of whether the Namazi family intends to sue Iran for arresting and imprisoning Mohammad Bagher and Siamak Namazi, Jared Genser said that their goal is to get Siamak Namazi out of Iran in the shortest possible time. Genser also asked the governments of Iran and the United States to return to the negotiating table and find a solution for the "hostages" held in Iran. At the end of his interview with Radio Farda, the lawyer of the Namazi family, referring to the deterioration of Mohammad Bagher Namazi's illness due to his imprisonment in Iran, said that after leaving Iran, he first went to Oman, then Abu Dhabi, and finally to the United States, and was immediately admitted to a medical clinic. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='42611'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/dw_persian/status/1580492225959825408'> According to Deutsche Welle Farsi, Siamak Namazi was returned to prison after his one-week leave. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='42711'> <reference source='https://cutt.ly/mB3b6cd'> Siamak Namazi was not injured in the Evin prison fire. Jared Genser, Namazi's family lawyer, announced in a tweet that Siamak Namazi called his family from Evin prison. During the countrywide protests in Iran in reaction to the murder of Mahsa Amini, parts of Evin Prison were set on fire on October 15th, 2022. A number of prisoners lost their lives, and some were wounded by the bullets shot by the prison guards. A number of prisoners suffered poisoning from breathing in the smoke and tear gas. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='49363'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/amanpour/status/1633833787460050944'> American journalist Christian Amanpour reported that Siamak Namazi called him from Evin prison. She Tweeted: > In an unprecedented action, Siamak Namazi, an American citizen, called for his release from Evin prison along with two other Americans." In an interview with Christian Amanpour, Siamak Namazi asked US President Joe Biden to end this "nightmare". Mr. Namazi also said that he took the risk of this interview to directly tell the American president that only he can take action on this matter. Referring to the fact that he, Morad Tahbaz, and Emad Sharghi have spent collectively 18 years in prison, Siamak Namazi said he is worried that "the White House is not aware of their serious situation. Mr. Namazi, who was choked up at some points of this interview, added that he was kept in prison all these years only because he was an American. In a part of this conversation, he criticized the policy of Barack Obama's government for forgetting him in Iran, and in response to the question of why he was not returned to the United States with the rest of the prisoners, he said: > This question should be asked by John Kerry (Obama's State Secretary at that time). </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='50599'> <reference source='https://www.iranintl.com/202304228341'> Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesman of the US State Department, referring to five years since the arrest of Emad Sharghi, called the imprisonment of foreign citizens a cruel political tactic and said that the Islamic Republic should immediately release Mr. Sharghi, Morad Tahbaz, and Siamak Namazi, three American citizens. According to Iran International, Vedant Patel said in his press conference: > Iran's unfair use of prison and abuse of American citizens as political leverage is a cruel, inhuman act and against international laws. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='50927'> <reference source='https://www.radiofarda.com/a/american-prisoner-s-families-appeal-to-biden-to-bring-them-home/32394747.html'> The families of the American-Iranian dual citizens imprisoned in Iran, Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi, and Morad Tahbaz, held a rally in front of the White House and asked the Joe Biden administration to return them to their families in America by paying any political costs for the release of these citizens. According to Radio Farda, a spokesperson for the US State Department said at the same time as the gathering that the Biden administration is working "tirelessly" on the fate of these people and that the negotiations in this regard are not made public because of the "sensitivity" and "extreme importance" of the issue. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='52605'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/BOFHcampaign/status/1670535367991394305?s=20'> Bagher Namazi, the father of Siamak Namazi, released a video message on Father's Day and said that he spends this day without his son Siamak by his side. "Enough is enough," he tweeted. "My anger is deep and my sorrow is intense; I need action instead of words." Addressing the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he said: > I am addressing those dark forces that have held our dear ones: your day of reckoning will come soon." In this message, he asked US President Joe Biden to "take the necessary measures to bring them back home . </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='53690'> <reference source='https://ir.voanews.com/a/voa-exclusive-white-house-jake-sullivan-confirmed-indirect-negotiations-iran-americans-release/7173530.html'> White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told VOA Persian that the Joe Biden administration has "indirect talks" with the Islamic Republic to free Americans detained in Iran. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='53687'> <reference source='https://www.radiofarda.com/a/we-will-not-discuss-the-details-of-any-efforts-to-secure-the-release-of-u-s-citizens/32513800.html'> In response to Radio Farda, one of the spokespersons of the US Se stated that four American citizens (three of whom are named Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi, and Morad Tahbaz) were "unjustly" detained by the Islamic Republic and announced that even "The number of detained American citizens" in Iran is not published in order not to jeopardize the process of their release. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='53695'> <reference source='https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/us/politics/iran-us-prisoner-swap.html'> The New York Times quoted American sources and wrote that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has transferred five Iranian Americans from prison to house arrest after two years of negotiations. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='53702'> <reference source='https://ir.voanews.com/a/eu-welcomed-change-in-status-iranian-american-prisoners/7221426.html'> Peter Stano, the spokesperson for the foreign policy of the European Union, told VOA Farsi about the change in the status of Iranian-American prisoners from prison to house arrest: > We welcome the release of four American prisoners who are now under house arrest. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='53706'> <reference source='https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-us-verge-prisoner-swap-under-qatar-mediated-deal-2023-09-10/'> Citing the statements of several Iranian diplomats and other sources familiar with the negotiations between Tehran and Washington, the Reuters news agency announced the details of the current agreement to release six billion dollars of Iran's blocked assets and the release of a number of prisoners from both sides. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='53709'> <reference source='http://tinyurl.com/ye23zfjd'> In an interview with the Associated Press, Ali Karimi Magham, the spokesman of Iran's delegation to the United Nations, confirmed the names of five Iranian prisoners whom the Islamic Republic hopes to release as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States. Mizan, the Judiciary News Agency named these prisoners as follows: Mehrdad Moein Ansari, Kambiz Attar Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour Kafrani, Amin Hassanzadeh, and Kaveh Afrasiabi. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='53712'> <reference source='https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/18/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-return-of-american-detainees-from-iran/#:~:text=I%20am%20grateful%20to%20our,%2C%20Switzerland%2C%20and%20South%20Korea.'> The plane carrying five American prisoners from Iran, including Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi, and Morad Tahbaz, landed at the Doha Qatar airport. Thus the prisoner exchange agreement between Iran and the United States, which coincided with the transfer of the blocked money of the Islamic Republic from South Korea to Qatar, was finalized. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='53713'> <reference source='http://tinyurl.com/2jdt2hb5'> After arriving in Doha, Siamak Namazi released a statement, a copy of which was published by IranWire, while thanking Joe Biden's government, asked the United States to use the upcoming opportunity at the United Nations General Assembly to agree on an international campaign to make the consequences of hostage-taking for governments like Iran heavy and costly. In this statement, he also mentioned other dual-citizenship prisoners. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>