Iran

Update on Flint native imprisoned in Iran: sister meets with Swiss ambassador

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:06:05 +0000

Although Amir Hekmati remains in police custody in Tehran, the most recent updates on the case provide some hope.

Since Michigan Radio’s Stateside report this past Wednesday, Amir Hekmati's sister, Sarah, met with the Swiss ambassador to Tehran. The United States has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980.

According to a MLive report by Blake Thorne, Sarah Hekmati said on Thursday that the Swiss ambassador indicated that Iranian officials may revisit Hekmati’s case. Sarah elaborated:

"She felt like the fact that he went from a death sentence to now an open-ended case was good news."

At the meeting, Sarah gave the ambassador letters and books that she hopes can be delivered to her brother.

Two years ago, Amir Hekmati was accused of spying for the CIA on a visit to Iran to see his grandmother.

After 20 months of no contact, Flint native imprisoned in Iran communicates with family

Stateside Staff — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:03:51 +0000

626 days and counting. That’s how long a young Iranian-American man from Flint has been in police custody in Tehran.

Two years ago, Amir Hekmati traveled to Iran to visit his grandmother. Iranian officials accused Hekmati of spying for the CIA, seizing the ex-Marine and throwing him into prison.

In January 2012, Hekmati was sentenced to death for his alleged conspiring with the U.S. government.

Later, the Iranian Supreme Court overturned his sentence, but Hekmati is still waiting in prison for a retrial — with no apparent end in sight.

But Hekmati’s family, based in Michigan, hasn’t stopped fighting for Amir’s release.

Since his arrest in 2011, Amir’s family has posted pictures in Times Square, hosted art exhibitions in Detroit, and urged state officials in Washington to move on the case.

“We’re not getting a lot of movement from Iran,” Amir’s sister Sarah Hekmati told us on Stateside. “But we’re trying to raise awareness of the situation.”

Flint family of jailed former Marine in Iran gets letters

The Associated Press — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:46:57 +0000

DETROIT (AP) - The family of a former Marine detained in Iran for nearly two years says he's finally receiving visits from an uncle there and has been able to send letters to immediate family members in the United States.

The Flint Journal reports Amir Hekmati's family holds out hope the developments could signal some movement toward the 29-year-old's release and eventual return to Michigan.

Sarah Hekmati says the letters are "the first time he's been directly able to express his thoughts." Hekmati's family says he went to Iran in 2011 to visit his grandmothers.

"We're a broken family," one year after Flint native imprisoned in Iran

Tracy Samilton — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:21:51 +0000

The family of Amir Hekmati is marking the one-year anniversary of his imprisonment in Iran.

The Flint native and Marine veteran was seized by Iranian authorities while visiting his grandmother. He was charged with spying for the CIA and sentenced to death.

That sentence was lifted, but there's no sign of progress in gaining his release

Hekmati's brother-in-law, Ramy Kurdi, says the family is being careful not to offend Iranian officials by emphasizing his innocence.

Do business with Iran? One lawmaker says you shouldn't do business with the state of Michigan

Steve Carmody — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:56:06 +0000

A state House committee takes up legislation tomorrow to prevent companies with ties to Iran from doing business with the state of Michigan.

Republican lawmaker Marty Knollenberg admits he doesn’t know of any Michigan businesses working with Iran. But he says it sends an important message.

“This brings attention to the problems of Iran," says Knollenberg, " They are a threat. They are a rogue nation. We need to put this issue on the forefront.”

Iranian Supreme Court orders retrial for Flint man sentenced to death

The Associated Press — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:36:10 +0000

An Iranian semiofficial news agency reports that the country's Supreme Court has ordered the retrial of a Marine veteran who was sentenced to death for working for the CIA.

Amir Hekmati's family lives in Flint.

The Monday report by ISNA quotes state prosecutor Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehei as saying the Supreme Court has found shortcomings in the case and sent it for review by another court.

"Assault on Iran"... Detained Michigan man had possible ties to video game

Christina Shockley — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:16:01 +0000

The Michigan man accused by Iran of being a CIA spy had ties to a gaming company. Those ties could help explain his detention. The Flint Journal reports Amir Hekmati was listed as a main contact in a Pentagon language-training contract by Kuma Games. Kuma Games produces the game "Assault on Iran."

The New York Times says this tie could help explain why Iran has suspicions about Hekmati. Iran has detained Hekmati and has sentenced him to death. Hekmati and is family say he was visiting family in Iran when he was detained.

Hekmati was born in Arizona and grew up in the Flint area. His father is a professor at a community college in Flint.

Iran sentences Michigan man to death in CIA case

The Associated Press — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:57:58 +0000

Iran's state radio says a court has convicted a Michigan man of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death.

Monday's report said Amir Mirzaei Hekmati was also convicted of trying to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism.

The report didn't say when the verdict was issued. Under Iranian law, he has 20 days to appeal.

Iran charges that as a former U.S. Marine, Hekmati received special training and served at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission.

His father, a professor at a community college in Flint, Mich., has said his son is not a CIA spy and was visiting his grandmothers in Iran when he was arrested.

The 28-year-old was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. His family is of Iranian origin.

Michigan family of Iran detainee says he needs better legal help

The Associated Press — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:08:18 +0000

The Michigan family of an Iranian-American detained in Iran for four months on espionage charges says he's not getting adequate legal representation.

The family of Amir Hekmati said in a statement that his "only advocate in Iran is a government-appointed lawyer who he first met on the day of his trial." The statement says the family has tried to hire "at least 10 different attorneys ... but to no avail."