Who is Amir Hekmati?

Born in Arizona and raised in Michigan, Amir Hekmati is a former Marine who visited Iran for the first time in August of 2011 to visit his aging grandmother. He was in Iran two weeks when Iranian intelligence officials detained him and accused him of being a spy for the CIA, an allegation often used against dual-nationals by Iranian officials.

In January of 2012, he was given a closed-door trial that lasted only a few hours and sentenced to death on the charges of working with a hostile country (the US), Corrupting the Earth, and Waging War Against God. 

In March of 2012, his sentence was overturned on appeal, with an Iranian judiciary ruling there was insufficent evidence. A new trial was ordered. That trial has yet to take place.

For over 16 months, Amir suffered his detention in the notorious Evin prison in solitary confinement. He was not allowed visits with his relatives in Iran. He had little to no access to his Iranian attorney. His family in America received no letters or calls, and any packages sent to Amir were not given to him. 

Recently he was transferred to a new unit within Evin prison after going on a month long hunger strike that left him to be found by guards on the floor, unconscious.

During his imprisonment, his father, a professor in Michigan, received news that he was fighting terminal brain cancer. For several months, Amir was not aware of his father's condition, only finding out recently. His father's fear is that Amir will continue to languish in Evin prison while his health slips away and that he will never get to hold his son in his arms again. 

Fundraising Efforts

Former Westerners held in prison in Iran have stated that their freedom came from awareness of their imprisonment and when the international community raised their voices when Evin's walls kept them silent. The Amir Hekmati Freedom Campaign is seeking to raise funds to be spent domestically to continue to raise Amir's case in the media, with elected officials, and with the general public through social media, visits to elected officials and ambassadors in Washington D.C., and media campaigns in local, national, and international press, as well as benefits held on Amir's behalf. It will also help fund materials necessary for Amir's campaign, such as signs, posters, press releases, website costs, and other fees incurred in the almost two year fight for Amir's freedom.