Barry Rosen: I Told Robert Malley That Shahab Dalili Is One of the Hostages and Should Be Freed

Barry Rosen, a former hostage from the U.S. Embassy in Iran, says that after learning about Shahab Dalili’s situation, he wrote a letter to the U.S. State Department’s Special Representative requesting that efforts be made to secure his release.

Shahab Dalili, an Iranian citizen with permanent U.S. residency, has been imprisoned in Iran for approximately six years. He traveled to Iran in 2016 to attend his father’s funeral but was arrested while trying to leave the country. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of what was described as “cooperation with a hostile government.”

Mr. Rosen said on Friday, April 25, in an exclusive interview with the Persian Service of Voice of America, that he became aware of the case after speaking with Nahid Dalili, Shahab Dalili’s wife, and stated: “I was very shocked that Shahab Dalili has been in prison for six years and very few people know about his case. This is bad news for America and the world. He has been detained for over six years and no one knows anything about his case.”

He continued: “Nahid told me how sad she is that Shahab’s name has not been raised in the public sphere, but I must say I am confident that the U.S. State Department’s Special Representative for Iran Affairs, who is currently in Vienna, knows that Shahab Dalili is in prison.”

Barry Rosen, expressing concern about the lack of clear information and statistics on the number of prisoners, added: “I am very puzzled as to why we don’t have accurate statistics on the number of imprisoned citizens and residents with permanent residency. In my opinion, the world should be informed about this.”

Emphasizing the need to follow up on Dalili’s case, he said: “We should not leave him behind and believe me, if we do, this will be a disgrace for the United States.”

Barry Rosen traveled to Vienna several months ago and conducted a hunger strike in front of the Coburg Hotel, where negotiations on the revival of Iran’s nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA, were taking place. Mr. Rosen met with American and European negotiators and demanded that all hostages be released and that a mechanism be established to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from taking such actions again. Barry Rosen was on hunger strike for four days.

When asked whether, now that he is aware of Shahab Dalili’s situation, he continues to pursue the position he held during his campaign in Vienna, Mr. Rosen said: “Absolutely. In fact, I just wrote a letter to Robert Malley, the U.S. State Department’s Special Representative for Iran Affairs, yesterday, and I told him, look, Shahab Dalili is another hostage. Don’t leave anyone behind among those detained by the regime in Tehran. Make sure everyone is released and be certain that there will be no deal unless and until all these hostages are freed.”

Regarding breaking the family’s silence and the need to focus on Shahab Dalili’s situation, he said: “I think the reason is that the family, particularly Nahid and her children, felt that some might be released but Shahab would not be among them. It is almost a situation that would be considered a 90th-minute occurrence, but for whatever reason, even if they might blame themselves for not acting sooner, something must be done now. He has been in prison for six years. His importance is equal to that of other American hostages and we must not forget him. His name must not be overlooked.”

Barry Rosen emphasized: “The U.S. State Department’s Special Representative for Iran Affairs must mention his name just like Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, and Emad Sharqi, whose names were previously raised. Shahab Dalili must be a definitive part of any agreement for the release of American hostages.”

Criticizing European appeasement toward Tehran, Rosen added: “The weak behavior of our European allies in the face of Tehran torments me. I hope not only American hostages but Europeans are also freed. I congratulate the British government for doing what it should have done many years ago, but I am deeply concerned that Europe and Americans may leave some behind.”

Currently, individuals such as Emad Sharqi, Siamak Namazi and his father Baquer Namazi (Iranian-American citizens), Ahmad Reza Jalali (Iranian-Swedish researcher), Mehrdad Raouf (Iranian-British citizen), Fariba Adelkhah (Iranian-French citizen), Nahid Taghavi (Iranian-German citizen), and Benjamin Brière, a French tourist, are imprisoned in Iran.

Source: Voice of America