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UN agency offers support for Iranian-American held in Tehran UN agency offers support for Iranian-American held in Tehran
(35 minutes later)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Nations’ children agency says it hopes an Iranian-American held in Tehran “will be reunited soon with his wife and loved ones.” DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Nations’ children agency issued an appeal on behalf of an 80-year-old Iranian-American detained in Tehran along with his son, saying it hopes he “will be reunited soon with his wife and loved ones.”
The UNICEF appeal is on behalf of 80-year-old Baquer Namazi, who was detained in late February returning to Tehran. His son, Siamak Namazi, has been detained since October in Iran. Baquer Namazi, a former Iranian government official under the shah who worked for UNICEF for years, has been held since late February. The reason for Namazi’s incarceration remains unclear, though a lawyer trying to represent him has said his detention is “for some investigation only” and that he likely won’t be charged.
The UNICEF appeal, issued Thursday, noted the elder Namazi’s work with UNICEF. He also once served as governor of Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan province under the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In its appeal, UNICEF noted his commitment to children and his “spiritual courage and moral convictions.” As a UNICEF representative, Namazi survived a 1994 shooting in southern Egypt targeting a U.N. convoy that killed five people.
The Namazi family fled Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but appears to have kept business ties in Iran. The younger Namazi traveled back several times before his arrest. “Mr. Namazi dedicated many years of his career to improving the lives of some of the world’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable children, often working in difficult and even dangerous circumstances,” the statement released Thursday said.
Their detentions come after the Iran nuclear deal and a prisoner swap between Iran and the U.S. There was no immediate reaction in Iranian state media Friday to the UNICEF appeal. Iran’s mission to the U.N. in New York did not respond to a request for comment.
Namazi once served as governor of Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan province under the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He and his family fled Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but appear to have kept business ties in Iran. His son, Siamak Namazi, also a dual citizen, has been detained since October in Iran.
Their detentions come after the Iran nuclear deal with world powers. Namazi’s son was not included in a January prisoner swap between Iran and the U.S. that saw five Americans freed and U.S. sentences, charges or warrants dropped against 21 Iranians.
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Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.