AFP
Washington
US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday urged Iran to free Amir Hekmati, an American who served as a US Marine, from four years of “unjust detention”.
Today marks the fourth anniversary of Hekmati’s imprisonment on what Kerry called “false espionage charges” while Hekmati was visiting relatives in Iran.
“We repeat our call on the Iranian government to release Amir on humanitarian grounds,” Kerry said in a statement.
“This is a milestone no family wants to mark, and the Hekmati family has shown inspiring perseverance in the face of this injustice,” he added.
“And as befits a former Marine, Amir has shown tremendous courage in the face of this unjust detention.”
Kerry reiterated his government’s call for Iran to release two other Americans: pastor Saeed Abedini, who was arrested in 2012 and sentenced to eight years in jail for gathering a group of people to study the Bible, and Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.
Kerry also urged Iran to “work co-operatively” to help locate Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared while on Iran’s Kish island in 2007.
