Siamak Namazi’s Furlough Extended For Another Three Days

 

The furlough of Iranian-American citizen Siamak Namazi, who is held hostage in the Islamic Republic of Iran over espionage charges, has been extended for another three days.

Babak Namazi, Siamak's brother, announced the news of his release and voiced hopes that the liberation would become permanent.

Siamak has spent seven years in jail on espionage charges. His father, a former UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) official Baquer Namazi, who went to Iran to free him in 2016, was also arrested and accused of espionage.

Last week, Baquer Namazi, 85, Siamak’s father, finally left Iran after 6.5 years of detention to get medical treatment. Siamak was let out of prison for a furlough to meet his father.

Siamak's brother, Babak, said in a statement that Iranian authorities had granted his sibling a further three-day furlough and he hoped that a longer extension would follow.

Reportedly, Baquer Namazi would not undergo surgery to clear a life-threatening blockage in his left carotid artery. According to Babak, Baquer will try an alternative treatment recommended by the medical team.

The United States, which has been demanding freedom for four U.S. citizens held in Iran, said that Namazi’s release was not part of the deal. Reportedly, two other U.S. citizens are held in the Islamic nation.

The former United Nations (UN) official was convicted in the Islamic nation for "collaboration with a hostile government" and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Iranian authorities released him due to health reasons in 2018. However, they did not allow him to leave Iran.

Earlier, Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, appealed to Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi for his release. Baquer’s lawyer, Jared Genser, also appealed to the Iranian authorities. Subsequently, Iran lifted the travel ban on Baquer and permitted him to leave the country for medical treatment.