An Iranian-American citizen imprisoned in Tehran for more than seven years on espionage charges has appealed to President Joe Biden to bring him back to his country.
According to Arab News, 51-year-old Siamak Namazi wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden that he is starting a seven-day hunger strike.
“When the Obama administration involuntarily left me in danger and the release of other American citizens held hostage by Iran on January 16, 2016, the U.S. government promised my family that they would be released within weeks,” he wrote. Will get me home safely.
Siamak Namazi added that “even after seven years and two presidents, I am imprisoned in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran.”
He asked US President Joe Biden to “spend a minute thinking about the plight of American citizens in detention” in Iran next week. Among the hostages were 67-year-old environmentalist Murad Tahbaz, who also holds British citizenship, and a 58-year-old businessman. Imad Shargi is included.
Siamak Namazi said that he will be on hunger strike for seven days. “All I want is for you to devote one minute of your day for the next seven days to thinking about the plight of the American hostages in Iran.”
“Just one minute of your time for every year of my life I wasted in Avon Prison when the US government could have saved me but didn’t,” he wrote.
A spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council has said that the administration is committed to securing the freedom of Siamese worshipers.
The spokesman said, “We are working tirelessly to repatriate all American citizens wrongfully detained in Iran.” Iran’s wrongful detention of American citizens for political gain is outrageous.
The United States had dismissed the espionage charges against Siamak Namazi as baseless.