2023-08-10 19:23:59
Four Americans detained in Iran were transferred Thursday (August 10th) to house arrest, the family of one of them said, fueling hopes of an agreement that would allow them to leave the country.
The progress made towards the release of these detainees – one of whom has been held prisoner for almost eight years – comes after discreet and intense negotiations between Washington and Tehran, in particular concerning the release of nearly 6 billion dollars in funds Iranians frozen in South Korea.
Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharqi, Morad Tahbaz, all three Iranian-Americans, along with an unnamed fourth prisoner, left Evin prison in Tehran for a home, a lawyer for the state said. family of Siamak Namazi. A fifth American has already been placed under house arrest a few weeks ago, another source said.
“Positive development”
“We are grateful that Siamak and the other Americans in Iran have been released from Evin prison and placed under house arrest”said Babak Namazi, brother of Siamak. “While this is a positive development, we will not cease our efforts until Siamak and the others return home.”he said in a statement.
A Namazi family lawyer, Jared Genser, also welcomed the announcement but warned the Americans were not out of the woods yet. “While I hope this will be the first step towards their final release, it is at most the beginning of the end, and nothing else”he launched.
Iranian ancestry
All of the Americans detained are of Iranian descent. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship and has had no diplomatic relations with the United States since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Siamak Namazi, a businessman, was arrested in October 2015, accused of espionage on the basis of evidence described as ridiculous by his family. His father, former UNICEF official Baquer Namazi, was himself taken prisoner when he traveled to Iran to help his son, but was eventually released last year due to his condition. health.
Morad Tahbaz, an American-Iranian who also has British nationality, was arrested in January 2018 and sentenced to ten years in prison for “Conspiracy with America”. This environmental activist was briefly released on bail in July 2022. Emad Sharqi, an American-Iranian investor, was sentenced in 2020 to ten years in prison for espionage.
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