An 80-year-old Iranian-American who has been detained in Iran for more than four years began a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment, according to his son, Babak Namazi. In a tweet Friday, Babak Namazi said his father Siamak Namazi “started a hunger strike 6 days ago to protest against being held hostage in Evin prison after serving 4 years of unjustifiable captivity.”
Siamak Namazi is an Iranian-American who had worked as a businessman and consultant. He was arrested in October 2015 by Iranian authorities and sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly “cooperating with the American government.” Siamak Namazi’s brother, Baquer, was arrested in February 2016 while visiting his son and his brother in Iran.
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Baquer Namazi, 82 at the time of his arrest, was reportedly in poor health for much of his detention. He was released on medical furlough last year but remains under house arrest. Babak Namazi called on Tehran “to release my father & other dual nationals on humanitarian grounds before it is too late.”
The State Department and the Swiss Embassy in Tehran declined to comment when asked about Siamak Namazi’s hunger strike. Switzerland has represented US interests in Iran since the two sides severed diplomatic relations following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Siamak Namazi is an Iranian-American who had worked as a businessman and consultant. In October 2015, he was arrested by Iranian authorities and sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly “cooperating with the American government.”
Namazi’s son, Babak Namazi, told CNN that his father began a hunger strike on Monday night to protest his detention.
“I am deeply saddened by this news,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in response to the news of Siamak Namazi’s hunger strike. “There is no reason why Mr. Namazi should be held any longer or why his case should not be resolved immediately.”
Babak Namazi, the son of Siamak Namazi, said Friday that his father had started a hunger strike six days ago to protest his imprisonment.
Siamak Namazi is an Iranian-American who has been detained in Iran for more than four years. He was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison on spying charges he has denied since then.
“I wish I could give you more details but there are none,” Babak wrote in a tweet posted Friday morning. “My father started a hunger strike 6 days ago to protest against being held hostage in Evin prison after serving 4 years of unjustifiable captivity,” he wrote, referring to the notorious detention center where many political prisoners are kept.
