5 Americans Who Need Washington’s Help to Come Home
Saeed Abedini
As the Iranian government dodges questions about holding one American, it’s opening trying another on charges that could bring a death sentence.
Iran began the trial for Abedini on Obama’s inauguration day. A 32-year-old American citizen and Idaho resident who converted to Christianity as a teen, Abedini and his wife had been forced to flee Iran once before for starting a network of home churches in the Islamic Republic. He was arrested in 2009 on a visit back to Iran to see his family, warned not to evangelize, then was arrested again in July 2012 when he re-entered the country for humanitarian work. The pastor was thrown into solitary confinement in the notorious Evin prison, and has suffered abuse both at the hands of his captors and from other inmates who self-identify as al-Qaeda.
A week ago, 11 Republican senators wrote Clinton to implore that she “exhaust all efforts” and “not stand idly by while the Iranian regime arbitrarily persecutes a U.S. citizen who has committed no crime.”
“Saeed’s charges and arbitrary detention violate numerous Iranian laws and international obligations,” they wrote. “Articles 13, 14, and 23 of the Iranian Constitution guarantee Mr. Abedini his right to freely practice his religion of choice. Furthermore, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which Iran is a party to, firmly secure one’s right to practice one’s religion of choice and be free from arbitrary detention.”
When asked about the case during a press briefing a week ago, White House press secretary Jay Carney had no comment.
“Saeed’s only ‘crime’ is that the Iranian mullahs hate his Christian faith, and we need the U.S. government to speak out and engage the international community in advocating for his immediate release,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
Also facing a death sentence in Iran is Amir Hekmati, a 30-year-old Flagstaff, Ariz., native and Marine Corps veteran arrested and charged with spying in August 2011 while visiting relatives in the country. A year ago, after a televised coerced confession, Hekmati was found guilty of being “corrupt on Earth and an enemy of God” and sentenced to die.
An appeals court overturned the verdict on the basis that the verdict was “not complete” and Hekmati sits in prison awaiting retrial.
American citizens who ‘voluntarily’ go to nations and regions in which there is ‘potential’ danger(s) should NOT have any expectations beyond that of the governments Department of State negotiating for a ‘clean’ release. For those who voluntarily go to live and work in foreign nations, they have no grant of our militaries, national security policies and political operations policies in their support. All nations enjoy a soveriengty whether they are on our friend or foe list and we don’t just call the Marines out and breach a nations soveriengty to rescue citizens who voluntarily took a known or even an unknown risk in a foreign nation.
Generally, with greed for money, comes great risks and consequences and these people should know that! Benghazi is quite a different circumstance!
In this examples you’ve picked people who have left this country voluntarily to go to dangerous countries.
The US has an obligation to protect people it sends to other countries – contractors for instance, diplomats and so forth.
But why should we risk more lives (and spend taxpayer money) to save people who were trying to gain fortune or glory by going to a dangerous area? It’s no different than people who try to climb dangerous mountains and have to be rescued at taxpayer expense.
Or people who went to visit their families abroad?
I must point out the following:
We owe so much money to China that we no longer have any basis for negotiating with them.
Our government is so pro-Muslim that they won’t risk upsetting any Muslim government or power by demanding the release of US citizens.
This is another strong argument for using ethical oil from North American sources, rather than conflict oil from Islamic lands!
This Administration did nothing to help the Marine who was held in Mexico for months, only when the parents went to the media did he get out.
Once again, the Democrat Media Complex is disgraceful, little to no coverage about Americans killed in Algeria. To get any news, I have to read foreign press and conservative sites. Apparently, the attack was well planned which makes me think it was a direct result of the intelligence loss in Libya.
Silly me, our POTUS has said the bad guys have been destroyed and OBL is dead and GM is alive!
The Old Media is fused with POTUS…shameful.
It is the human condition.
There must be ten thousand movies in which the monster slaughters twenty nearby villages, the entire region is up in flames, but at 2 AM the pretty heroine has an overwhelming urge to go outside the iron doors and pick flowers in her nightie. Guess who creeps up in the shadows?
If you intentionally travel into hell, do not be surprised if you meet the devil.
The only international topic which this Administration has any interest is climate change. These people are symbols, or poker chips. They probably will be murdered. Pray for those who will mourn.
Other Americans will either grow up, or follow these victims of a cruel world. When we elect incompetent, disrespected leaders, we get incompetency, and disrespect. It is the human condition.
Thanks, good post. These men deserve our help. Maybe we should show as much concern about the 157 people held at Guantanamo, most for years, without being charged with ANY crime. Sure, they are less than human, not being Americans, but they are people with families, children, and lives that don’t deserve to be spent in prison without charge.
I posted a comment 13 hours ago and it still hasn’t shown up. Why? It was IAW the rules.
Less than human, because they aren’t arent’t? Jesus Christ. Tell me that’s sarcasm.
Also, send John Rambo in.
As stated, they voluntarily entered these countries. Either as journalists or ‘visiting’ family. Perhaps the laws of the soverign countries they were in were violated. Its too simplistic for Sen Rubio to accuse the Iranians of jailing that one guy purely for the fact he is a christian. He knew the dangers of proselytizing in Iran and yet broke their laws. We here in the US get pissed off when foreigners break our laws and we have many in prison…their respective countries asking for their return as well, yet we do not concede. I find the whole presentation of the missing 5 to be an ad hominem attack on the administration and state department…as if they have control over the world. Levinson, an American private detective on Iranian soil, is a recipe for disaster. We cant snap our fingers and get people who do stupid things, or work in highly volatile countries that do kidnapping fo breakfast, to be returned. It takes time, and those wheels move slow.
Interesting point about someone going into a foreign country to work (some say greed) and should give up their rights about being a tax paying citizen and thus can be killed, tortured or persecuted. I actually see your point, just having difficulty completely agreeing with it. It is a risk and their salaries probably reflect that risk. But honestly, can the same be said for tourists, too? If a country has laws and those laws are broken and foreign citizens suffer, you feel there should be no retaliation? Even if our country contributes large sums to these governments? So I guess you are saying that once an American citizen leaves our borders, the US should just turn its back on them? Does the same go for the Peace Corp or is it just for people making a living? Sorry your wrong. Unless that American citizen is conducting illegal activities, then they should be protected by our government, even if they are lowly construction workers or Diplomats in an embassy, or wealthy tourists flaunting their cash.
If you want to be taken seriously in written posts then please learn the difference between YOUR and YOU’RE. You,re not going to be taken seriously if your grammar is lacking.
What a peculiar lot Americans are! I suppose the attitudes displayed here reflect the fact that Americans aren’t known for being travelers. As a Brit i holiday abroad two or three times a year and have worked abroad too, when i travel i do so under the protection of the British crown. Anyone who travels abroad should expect their government to step in and help them if needed, no matter where they travel to or what their reason is.