Families of American and Dual-Citizen Detainees Call for Pressure on Islamic Republic for Their Release
Families of Bob Levinson, Nazanin Zaghari, Siamak and Baquer Namazi announced during a meeting in Washington that their concerns about their relatives’ situation in Iran have deepened amid ongoing protests.
According to Associated Press, family members of Mr. Levinson and two dual-citizen detainees held in Iran called again on Tuesday, December 3, for the freedom of their relatives at a joint press conference in Washington.
Bob Levinson’s daughter, a former FBI officer who disappeared 12 years ago after traveling to Kish Island, Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanin Zaghari who was detained in Tehran on security charges, and Babak Namazi, brother of Siamak Namazi and son of Baquer Namazi who are also detained in Tehran on security charges, expressed concern about the negative impact of “brutal” suppression of people following recent Iranian protests, widespread arrests, and internet shutdowns on their relatives’ conditions in Iran.
Sarah Moriarty, one of Bob Levinson’s daughters, referring to contradictory statements by Islamic Republic officials about her father’s disappearance, said she believes Islamic Republic officials know where her father is and are in a position to return him to America. She pointed to recent news about the Islamic Republic’s admission to the United Nations that the Levinson case remains open in Iran and that he had been detained in Iran once before.
21 family members of Robert (Bob) Levinson are scheduled to file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia starting Wednesday this week before federal Judge Timothy Kelly, requesting that the Iranian government pay $1.5 billion in compensation for damages caused to them.
Mr. Levinson’s daughter said a large portion of our claim is for compensation because we want to deter them from taking such action against others.
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanin Zaghari, an employee of the Thomson Reuters charity division who has been detained in Iran for more than three years, also referring to efforts to negotiate for the release of this group of hostages, said all avenues so far have been fruitless.
Stating that hostage-taking must have real and clear costs, he said sanctions could be an option for punishing hostage-taking.
Western analysts say the Islamic Republic uses dual-citizen individuals as hostages to extract money and concessions from Western governments.
Currently, in addition to Nazanin Zaghari, several American and non-American citizens—including Siamak and Baquer Namazi, Michael White, Zhu Wang, Ares Amiri, and Kamran Qaderi—are detained in Iran. There is no information about the fate of Robert Levinson, another American citizen who disappeared in Iran over twelve years ago.
The U.S. State Department has repeatedly condemned arbitrary and authoritarian detention of American citizens and citizens of other countries, including Iranian dual-citizens, by the Islamic Republic regime and has called for their immediate and unconditional release.
Source: Voice of America
