[House Hearing, 114 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
HEARING ON AMERICANS DETAINED IN IRAN
AND MARKUP OF H. RES. 233,
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THAT IRAN SHOULD IMMEDIATELY RELEASE THE THREE
UNITED STATES CITIZENS IT HOLDS, AS WELL AS PROVIDE
ALL KNOWN INFORMATION ON ANY UNITED STATES CITIZENS
THAT HAVE DISAPPEARED WITHIN ITS BORDERS
=======================================================================
HEARING AND MARKUP
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JUNE 2, 2015
__________
Serial No. 114-54
__________
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COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida BRAD SHERMAN, California
DANA ROHRABACHER, California GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
JOE WILSON, South Carolina GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida
TED POE, Texas BRIAN HIGGINS, New York
MATT SALMON, Arizona KAREN BASS, California
DARRELL E. ISSA, California WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts
TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island
JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina ALAN GRAYSON, Florida
MO BROOKS, Alabama AMI BERA, California
PAUL COOK, California ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California
RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas GRACE MENG, New York
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania LOIS FRANKEL, Florida
RON DeSANTIS, Florida TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii
MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
TED S. YOHO, Florida ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
CURT CLAWSON, Florida BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania
SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin
DAVID A. TROTT, Michigan
LEE M. ZELDIN, New York
TOM EMMER, MinnesotaUntil 5/18/
15 deg.
DANIEL DONOVAN, New YorkAs
of 5/19/15 deg.
Amy Porter, Chief of Staff Thomas Sheehy, Staff Director
Jason Steinbaum, Democratic Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
HEARING WITNESSES
Mr. Ali Rezaian (brother of Jason Rezaian)....................... 6
Mrs. Naghmeh Abedini (wife of Saeed Abedini)..................... 13
Ms. Sarah Hekmati (sister of Amir Hekmati)....................... 18
Mr. Daniel Levinson (son of Robert Levinson)..................... 26
LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING RECORD
Mr. Ali Rezaian: Prepared statement.............................. 8
Mrs. Naghmeh Abedini: Prepared statement......................... 15
Ms. Sarah Hekmati: Prepared statement............................ 21
Mr. Daniel Levinson: Prepared statement.......................... 28
MARKUP OF
H. Res. 233, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives
that Iran should immediately release the 3 United States
citizens it holds, as well as provide all known information on
any United States citizens that have disappeared within its
borders........................................................ 51
APPENDIX
Hearing/markup notice............................................ 56
Hearing minutes.................................................. 57
Markup minutes................................................... 58
Markup summary................................................... 60
Mrs. Naghmeh Abedini: Material submitted for the hearing record.. 61
HEARING ON AMERICANS DETAINED IN IRAN AND MARKUP OF H. RES. 233,
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT IRAN SHOULD
IMMEDIATELY RELEASE THE 3 UNITED STATES CITIZENS IT HOLDS, AS WELL AS
PROVIDE ALL KNOWN INFORMATION ON ANY UNITED STATES CITIZENS THAT HAVE
DISAPPEARED WITHIN ITS BORDERS
----------
TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 o'clock a.m.,
in room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Edward Royce
(chairman of the committee) presiding.
Chairman Royce. This hearing on Americans detained in Iran
will come to order. I am going to ask all of the members to
take their seat at this time.
All four of our witnesses are close relatives of these
Americans who have been away from their families now for far
too long. Ali Rezaian is the brother of Washington Post
correspondent Jason Rezaian, whose so-called ``trial'' began
last week. That is a trial that began in secret. Naghmeh
Abedini is the wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini. Sarah Hekmati is
the sister of former U.S. Marine, Amir Hekmati. And Daniel
Levinson is the son of Robert Levinson.
We deeply appreciate, I will say to all of the family
members here, you being with us today to give this testimony
today. The committee stands in solidarity with each of your
families. We can't imagine what you are being put through. We
share your anger. We share your frustration with the position
that you have been put in.
Immediately after our hearing today, the committee will be
passing a resolution that calls for Iran to release all
detained U.S. citizens immediately and provide information it
possesses regarding any who have disappeared within its
borders.
And I would like to recognize the work of Congressman
Huffman of California, Congressman Labrador of Idaho, and
Congressman Kildee of Michigan, and of course, Mr. Deutch, is a
senior member of this committee. And I know that these members
have worked to represent the best interests of your families
and I thank each of them for joining us here on the committee
today.
This morning, we will be hearing the stories of these four
Americans. Jason Rezaian is a journalist who was born and
raised in California. He hoped to use his position at the
Washington Post to present a greater understanding of the
Iranian people. Arrested on trumped-up charges, he has been
interrogated. He has been held for over 300 days at the
infamous Evin Prison. Like every other aspect of his case, his
trial opened last week shrouded in secrecy.
In September 2012, Iran arrested and later sentenced Pastor
Saeed Abedini to 8 years for gathering with others to study the
Bible--as his wife notes, this is a lawful act, even under
Iranian law, but one which the regime deemed a threat to
national security. His jailers have asked him to renounce his
faith and I think he has been jailed for 8 years with threat of
more if he does not renounce his faith.
In August 2011, Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine, was
sentenced to death for alleged espionage. Upon his appeal, the
sentence was reduced to 10 years. His sister will tell us how
Amir has been beaten on his feet with cables and tasered
repeatedly in the kidneys. His father is gravely ill and he had
gone to Iran to visit family.
In 2007, Robert Levinson went missing on Iran's Kish
Island. Eight years later, Iran continues to refuse to assist
the United States in locating him. As Daniel notes, his father
is the longest held hostage in American history.
Each of these tragic cases is unique, but they each
demonstrate Iran's view of the United States, which is one of
contempt. Washington Post editor, Martin Baron, wrote last
week, ``There is no justice in this system, not an ounce of it.
Iran is making a statement about its values in the disgraceful
treatment of our colleague.'' This is, by the way, I would
point out, a country that regularly holds these ``Death to
America'' rallies. And so the contempt with which they hold
American hostages is not something new with respect to dealing
with the Iranian regime and frankly, with the Houthis now
holding four Americans and refusing to release them because
they are Americans, we have an extension of this policy into
Yemen.
And while our focus this morning is the release of these
Americans, these cases do call into question the integrity of
the diplomacy surrounding Iran's nuclear program. As editorial
boards point out, is this another attempt to pressure the
administration into weakening its position at the talks? If a
journalist can be suddenly imprisoned on bogus charges, what
treatment can international inspectors for Iran's nuclear
program expect?
And I would add to this a more fundamental point. If top
Iranian officials cannot be counted on to assist these
wrongfully jailed Americans, can they be counted on to honor
the commitments they make at the negotiating table? Call me a
skeptic, but we are very concerned about the fact that these
four Americans have been held for so long and especially this
show trial which just began last week. So the bottom line this
morning is that these four Americans should be allowed to come
home now.
And I will recognize the ranking member for today's
hearing, Mr. Ted Deutch of Florida for any opening comments he
may have.
Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thanks to you and
Mr. Engel for giving us the opportunity to hear from the
families today. Let me say to each of you today, we will not
rest until your brothers, fathers, and husbands return home.
I represent South Florida, Coral Springs, Florida
especially today, home to the Levinson family. Bob Levinson
disappeared from Kish Island in March 2007. Since his
disappearance, Bob's family has received proof of life in the
form of pictures and recording, yet Bob's whereabouts remain
unknown. No family should have to go through eight agonizing
years of not knowing when their husband, father, and
grandfather will come home. In those 8 years, Bob has missed
his seven children's birthdays and weddings, his 40th wedding
anniversary with his courageous wife, Christine, who is here
today, and the birth of grandchildren.
In the 2013 CNN interview shortly after his election,
President Rouhani said, ``With respect to Bob, we are willing
to help and all the intelligence services in the region can
come together to gather information about him to find his
whereabouts and we are willing to cooperate on that.'' It is
well past time to make good on that pledge.
For the next 30 days, U.S. negotiators will sit across the
table from their Iranian counterparts. I appreciate the efforts
made to raise these cases at every meeting, but the time has
come to turn up the pressure. We have been told for a variety
of reasons why the nuclear issue should be dealt with
separately. But where we are now and at this morning's hearing
is not about centrifuges. It is not about enrichment capacity,
PMD, or snap-back sanctions. It is about respect for human
rights and human dignity and it is about justice.
The United States Government must not rest until Amir
Hekmati, Jason Rezaian, Saeed Abedini and my constituent, Bob
Levinson, are home. And the time, Mr. Chairman, is now.
I would now ask unanimous consent to yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Kildee, who is the author of the
resolution that we will be marking up after this hearing,
calling for the release of these individuals in Iran. He also
represents the Hekmati family.
Chairman Royce. Without objection, Mr. Kildee.
Mr. Kildee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
holding this hearing. I appreciate your help and your
perseverance on this question. We are here today to hear
testimony from families whose loved ones are imprisoned in
Iran, including my constituent, Amir Hekmati.
It is important that we hear their stories. It is important
that the American people hear the names, Amir Hekmati, Jason
Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, Bob Levinson, and not let their cases
or their stories fade. Congress should know their names. The
American people should know their names. They are being
unjustly held in Iran and they should be released so they can
be with these family members.
The world is watching Iran and today, Congress and this
committee will speak with one voice considering House
Resolution 233 that calls on Iran to simply do one thing,
release the Americans that it holds. It is very simple. This
resolution states and this Congress will say with one voice
that Iran cannot hold Americans as political prisoners, people
like Amir Hekmati, if it wants to be taken seriously in the
global community.
Let me be clear. The onus is on Iran to do what is right,
to release Amir and the other Americans that it holds.
So to the families today, I look forward to hearing your
testimony, to hearing your stories, to help the American people
and this Congress understand that each of these individuals
deserve the rights and respect that any human being does. And I
look forward to the day when we can welcome them all home.
With that, Mr. Chairman, thank you so much and I yield
back.
Mr. Deutch. Mr. Chairman, I now ask unanimous consent to
yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California, Mr. Huffman,
who represents the Rezaian family.
Chairman Royce. Without objection.
Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank
you for the opportunity to be here to welcome my constituent,
Ali Rezaian, and to express my solidarity with him and his
family and all of the families here and the many people around
the world who are watching this important hearing today.
It is important that we do speak with one voice today,
especially given the fact that there is a spectacle of a trial
taking place in Iran involving Jason Rezaian. It is important
that the Iranian regime understand that the whole world is
watching. And our bipartisan expression, by passing this
importance piece of legislation, is one of the best ways we can
make that statement.
I want to thank my colleague, Dan Kildee, for his
leadership in authoring this bipartisan bill. And I want to
thank the committee for considering the bill on its own merits.
Whatever issues or even disagreements we may have about broader
issues, we are able to speak with one voice on this important
matter today and that is important for all of these Americans
who are unjustly detained and for their families and supporters
around the world. Thank you very much.
Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back the rest
of my time.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Deutch. Without objection, I
think I will also recognize Mr. Raul Labrador from Idaho for 1
minute if he would like to comment.
Mr. Labrador. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for
letting me speak, even though I am not a member of the
committee.
And Naghmeh, welcome to our committee today and to
Congress. Not only is she a constituent and her husband a
constituent, but she is a dear friend of many of my dear
friends who love her and who I hear from almost on a daily
basis about your husband.
On December 20 of 2012, Reverend Saeed Abedini, a
naturalized U.S. citizen and convert to Christianity, born in
Iran, was imprisoned on charges of undermining national
security for setting up orphanages in partnership with Iranian
Christians. His closed trial was held January 22, 2013, and he
was convicted and sentenced to 8 years in prison.
I commend President Obama for advocating for the release of
your husband and I know that he has spoken to Iran's President
on this. But I also believe that I am concerned that the
Iranian Government is more interested in words than in actions.
If the Iranian Government is sincerely committed to action, a
good first step would be to immediately release your husband
and all the other people that are being held captive in Iran.
And I believe that all negotiations with Iran should cease, in
my opinion, if this is not the first step that they engage in.
If they are not willing to become part of the world community,
we should not be negotiating with them at all. And I hope that
this hearing today will help us to get that goal completed.
Thank you very much for being here and God bless all of you.
Chairman Royce. Thank you. We will go for 1 minute to Ms.
Ros-Lehtinen, chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East
and North Africa.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. And I
praise the courage, the strength, and the love that our
witnesses have shown for their family members who are being
used as pawns by the Iranian regime. Bob, Saeed, Amir, and
Jason are American citizens being held in Iran, but they are
much more than that. They are fathers and sons and husbands,
brothers, uncles, and friends. Yet, for years, they have
languished in Iran's most notorious prisons and more needs to
be done to secure their release now.
The U.S. must not negotiate to reward the Iranian regime
while continuing to pursue this weak nuclear deal with a regime
that continues to imprison American citizens. We must make it
clear in no uncertain terms that we will not allow the regime
to hold American citizens and deny them their due process while
torturing them and subjecting them to inhumane treatment. The
administration must realize that while it expresses niceties to
Iran, the Iranian regime continues to imprison American
citizens and violate their human rights. This must stop now.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Royce. And lastly, 1 minute to Mr. Chris Smith,
chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global
Human Rights, and International Organizations.
Mr. Smith. Thank you very much. Thank you for calling this
extraordinarily important hearing, very timely. I can only
imagine the emotional agony, especially in the middle of the
night, each of our distinguished witnesses experience as you
pray, as you think and ponder what your loved one is going
through. Naghmeh is back again for the fourth time now,
testifying twice before my subcommittee. She has been
absolutely tenacious on behalf of Saeed Abedini, as have all of
the other witnesses, calling for their unconditional and
immediate release.
It seems to me to be folly in the extreme that we are
engaging in a negotiation on nuclear--potential nuclear
weapons, when Americans are being held hostage by a
dictatorship. I call again, as we all do, upon the
administration to make this even more of a priority. Let us not
forget at the first hearing where Naghmeh testified, she had
gone down to the State Department and they told her there is
nothing we can do. There is so much all of us can do. This
resolution is another step in that direction and hopefully, we
in a totally bipartisan way, will express the will of the
American people, please, let these innocent people go.
Chairman Royce. We need to welcome the newest member of our
committee here, Congressman Daniel Donovan, Jr. He recently won
the special election in Staten Island, New York. Previously, he
served as District Attorney in Richmond County. So welcome, Mr.
Donovan. And the family just had a baby girl, I am told.
Mr. Donovan. We did, just 12 days ago.
Chairman Royce. Well, congratulations, Mr. Donovan. And we
now will introduce our panel, the witnesses here today.
Mr. Ali Rezaian is the brother of Washington Post
correspondent, Jason Rezaian, whose trial began in Iran last
week in secret. And he has traveled, Mr. Rezaian has traveled
from California to be with us today. We welcome him.
Mrs. Naghmeh Abedini is the wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini,
who is currently serving an 8-year sentence in an Iranian
prison. Mrs. Abedini grew up in Boise, Idaho and has been
actively involved with her church congregation for many years.
Sarah Hekmati is the sister of Amir Hekmati, a former
Marine, now imprisoned in Iran for 4 years. Ms. Hekmati has led
the campaign for his freedom since his imprisonment in 2011.
And Mr. Daniel Levinson is the son of Robert Levinson, who
has been missing in Iran since 2007. Mr. Levinson is an analyst
at a Government contractor and he is based in Coral Springs,
Florida.
And we appreciate all of our witnesses being with us today.
Without objection, all of the witnesses' full prepared
statements are going to be part of the record and members here
will have 5 calendar days to submit any statements or questions
or extraneous material for the record.
And Mr. Rezaian, if we could start with you, if you could
summarize your remarks. Thank you, sir.
STATEMENT OF MR. ALI REZAIAN (BROTHER OF JASON REZAIAN)
Mr. Rezaian. Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Deutch, and
members of the committee, thank you for inviting me here today.
My name is Ali Rezaian, and I am here on behalf of my brother,
Jason Rezaian, who has been held for nearly a year in a prison
in Tehran for activities that he did not commit.
My brother has always been a passionate storyteller. Since
2012, he has been serving as the Tehran Bureau Chief for the
Washington Post. Jason's reporting in Iran has ranged from
stories about everyday life in Tehran to baseball's growing
popularity with Iranian citizens. His stories always went
beyond stereotypes, reported on facts, and informed readers
about the rich and complex fabric of Iranian society.
While simply doing his job, Jason and his wife were taken
without warning and he has now been detained in Evin Prison for
315 days.
While most people know Jason as a journalist, I know Jason
as a brother, son, husband, and devoted uncle. Jason is my
little brother. In fact, when he was born my parents turned to
me for ideas about what to name him. I suggested the name Jason
because at the time my best friend's name was Jason. Today,
Jason is my best friend.
Like a lot of kids in our neighborhood, Jason grew up
infatuated with Star Wars and he always has been an
enthusiastic Oakland A's fan. I proudly watch Jason grow up to
be a truly, truly remarkable man with intellect, endless
curiosity, joy for life, and the ability to tell a story led
him into journalism where he has excelled. But above all, Jason
is a loving family member.
In 2011, my own family suffered the tragic and unexpected
death of our 5-year-old son Walker. Jason was working in Iran
at the time when I called him with the news. Without a second
thought, Jason got on a plane in the same day to come to
California to comfort and support our family. I cannot tell you
how much that meant to myself, my wife, as well as our parents.
In addition to being a devoted son and brother, Jason
became a husband 2 years ago when he married Yeganeh Salehi.
Sadly, Jason has now spent nearly half of their marriage in
prison. My son Paxton, who is seven, asks me daily when is
Uncle Jason going to be released from prison? With the help of
this committee and others from around the world, I believe
Uncle Jason and Paxton can still see an A's game in Oakland
together this summer.
Let me be very clear. The charges against Jason are false.
Jason did sometimes write about Iran's domestic and foreign
policy, but this is perfectly legal conduct recognized around
the world as practicing journalism. Iran's treatment of Jason
has been and remains in violation of international human rights
laws that Iran has repeatedly promised to uphold. Yet, despite
being party to treaties that protect free speech and due
process, Iran has afforded Jason neither of these fundamental
rights.
Now more than ever, I am concerned about Jason's health and
welfare. While in prison, Jason has suffered painful and
debilitating infections. He has lost more than 40 pounds. He
also has chronic high blood pressure and a respiratory
condition which was exasperated during the hot summer months in
Tehran. He is often kept in solitary confinement and is allowed
only minimal human interaction.
I appreciate the support of all of the very good people who
want to free Jason. The Washington Post's Chief Foreign Head is
here with us today. President Obama has spoken about Jason
publicly. The Washington Post's legal team led by Jay Kennedy,
has been unwavering in its support of Jason and me. Thank you
all. It means more than words can express.
It is time for Jason to come home. It is time for the
families here to all be reunited. Releasing Jason is the humane
thing to do and it is the right thing to do and I hope that
Iran will do so immediately.
My mother wishes that she were here today to tell you all
about Jason. But she is currently in Tehran so that she can
more closely follow the situation with his trial. With the
committee's indulgence, I would like to play a short video that
perfectly sums up how we all feel.
Chairman Royce. Without objection.
[Video played.]
Mr. Rezaian. It is time for Jason to come home to his
family. It is time for the loved ones of everyone on this panel
to come home to their family. Iran could make that happen today
and should do it without further delay. Thank you for your time
and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Rezaian follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
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Chairman Royce. Thank you, Ali. Mrs. Abedini.
STATEMENT OF MRS. NAGHMEH ABEDINI (WIFE OF SAEED ABEDINI)
Mrs. Abedini. Thank you, Chairman Royce, Ranking Member
Deutch, and Mr. Engel and members of the committee and over
917,000 who have signed petitions for the release of my
husband, who surrounded our family with their prayer and
support. I am thankful for the State Department for speaking to
Iran on the sidelines and for the President who has spoken out
and also gave me an opportunity to meet with him in January of
this year.
But as Mr. Rezaian mentioned, it is time to bring Saeed
home. I have been before the Human Rights Committee and our
Foreign Relations Committee a few times and I just think about
3 years ago when I was so hopeful that maybe this hearing will
bring him home, maybe something will happen. And I am really
hoping that this will be it.
I stand before you today not as a lawyer or a politician. I
am actually very scared of speaking in public, but as a wife of
a husband who is in prison in Iran because of his Christian
faith, and the only reason I put myself out there and speak is
to bring my husband home and to bring the father of my children
home.
Saeed is an American citizen who was sentenced to 8 years.
As mentioned, the Iranian Government has said they would add on
more years because he refuses to deny his Christian faith. He
has been in the Iranian prison for his Christian faith and for
gathering with other believers 13 years earlier, under a
different President who was actually allowing it, and again,
this is protected by Iranian law. But the Iranian Government
has said that peaceful gathering of religious minorities is a
threat to their national security.
Every day, I wake up with an excruciating pain as I
understand many of the families wake up. Life is no longer
carefree. You wake up with a pain. Most mornings, I wake up in
a hotel room or I am in airports and I wake up to the reality
of our life. And my children have had to go without a father
and a mother for 3 years now. It is very difficult to try to
choose between being at home with my children when they need me
the most and as they are hurting and they want to hold on to at
least one parent, and trying to advocate for my husband. I just
can't imagine not doing everything I can every single day of my
life until my husband is home.
So it is very painful for me to have to leave my kids
behind. I just came back a few days ago from speaking before
the European Parliament and the German Parliament and trying to
get their support. And my children, I had to explain to them
why again I had to travel, as they were desperately holding on
to me and asking me not to go. And every time I tell them it is
for Daddy. I am going to bring your Daddy home.
It is very difficult going back to them and not being able
to have solid answers. I really hope that this will be the time
that we can bring Saeed home. Saeed has been tortured. The
first few months of his imprisonment he was beaten pretty badly
where his internal injuries and bleeding started. He has been
sent to an exile prison, Rajai Shahr prison. He has been moved
many times. He was put in a murderers' ward where he was told
by the head of the new prison that if they find out he is a
convert, they will kill him. He was literally in the lion's den
when he was in the murder ward in Rajai Shahr and he was
covered with lice and doing horribly physically and
psychologically. He has been put in and out of solitary three
times now. The last time he was put in solitary was actually a
few months ago a few days after we made that framework
agreement with Iran, he was put in solitary again.
I came to the United States 30 years ago and the greatest
gift that this country gave me was the freedom to choose Jesus
Christ as my lord and savior. And for that I am forever
grateful. I felt safe. I felt I came to a safe place, a country
that would protect me and would stand up for my freedom,
especially for my religious freedom. And Saeed is in that
situation right now.
He refuses to deny his Christian faith and the Iranian
Government continues to harass him and threaten him with more
imprisonment. They have put him in and out of solitary to break
him. I am not worried just about his physical pain, but his
psychological. They are trying to--when they release Saeed,
they want to make sure they release a very sick person and
Saeed has held on to his faith and refused. But I am very
concerned. I think time is of the essence. I just want to
finish with this verse, if I can for a few minutes.
A family relied on their personal relationship. When you
are going through a trial, the dos and don'ts of religion can't
do anything for you. It is only a relationship with God through
the price that Jesus Christ paid on the cross that you can go
through the trials of life with peace and strength. No religion
can give you that. It has to be a relationship with God. And I
believe this is where the blessing of this nation came from and
the freedom we have is because of the blessing that comes from
our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Our family has relied on this personal relationship to
endure this pain and to overcome our daily worries and concern.
I want to conclude with the story in the Bible that describes
our current situation. It includes a fiery furnace, threats of
death, and a Savior in the midst of it. It is the story of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And as you might know,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship other gods
and they were told that they will be put in the fiery furnace.
And they say, ``O King, we do not need to defend ourselves
before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God
whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your
power. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you,
Your Majesty, that we will never serve your god.'' And this is
our situation.
Saeed refuses to recant his faith. And they command the
furnace to be heated more and in the end the king says, ``I see
four men unbound walking in the fire.'' The fourth man was
Jesus and Jesus has been with us through this fiery furnace. It
has been excruciating pain and it has been difficult to even
breathe most days. But I am here to say that Jesus has been
with us through every second of it, with me and my family and
that invitation to open to anyone who wants to receive Him.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mrs. Abedini follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
----------
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mrs. Abedini.
Sarah.
STATEMENT OF MS. SARAH HEKMATI (SISTER OF AMIR HEKMATI)
Ms. Hekmati. Thank you. Can you hear me? Mr. Chairman,
Ranking Member, and members of the committee, thank you for
giving me the opportunity today to testify about the arbitrary
imprisonment of my brother, Amir.
And in support of Congressman Kildee's House Resolution
233, with your permission, I would like the opportunity to
submit additional material for the record.
Chairman Royce. Without objection.
Ms. Hekmati. This is the first opportunity our family has
received in nearly 4 years of my brother's imprisonment in Iran
and we appreciate the time and effort that went into making it
possible for me to appear today on Amir's behalf.
For over 3 years, our family has been living a nightmare.
Every day we wake up hoping that it is the day we find out Amir
will finally be released and is returning home. We are in
constant fear for his health, his safety, and his life. The
fact that Amir is the first American to be sentenced to death
by Iran since 1979 adds to our fears. The fact that he has been
held in Evin prison longer than any other American in history
is emotionally draining.
My parents came to this country not because they had to,
but because they saw opportunities here that they wanted for
their future children. My dad has a PhD in Microbiology and was
a college professor and my mother an accountant, and it is in
gratitude for the opportunities afforded to us as Americans
that my brother Amir was proud to serve in the Marine Corps.
I want to be very clear. While our family takes issue with
the actions of a certain faction of the Iranian regime, we know
this is not a reflection of the government as a whole nor of
its people. Iran is the country of my parent's birth, and as a
family we were always raised to be proud of our heritage.
It is this pride in our Iranian heritage and importance of
family that led Amir to make his first trip to Iran in August
2011. It is a trip that thousands of Iranian-Americans make. I,
myself, have made this trip twice. Amir had last seen our
grandmother when he was a young child when she visited America.
He felt it was his duty to visit her after all these years
because she was too elderly to come to the US anymore. On
August 29, 2011, only days away from his return home to
Michigan, Amir was preparing himself to attend a family
gathering. However, Amir never showed up. When our family in
Iran went to the cousin's apartment he was staying at, they
could see the apartment had been broken into and a struggle had
taken place. Amir was missing. Also gone were his computer,
camera, and passport. Our relatives in Iran spent every day
contacting officials, searching Tehran for Amir hoping to find
out who took him, where they took him, and why.
Two and a half months later, we found out that Amir had
been imprisoned. At that time, both the Iranian and the United
States Governments urged us not to go public with Amir's
imprisonment, asking that his imprisonment not go public and
that it be handled behind-the-scenes. They both suggested that
by going to the media, Amir would be put in more danger and his
case would become highly politicized. Our family learned later
that our silence allowed Amir to suffer the worst torture
imaginable.
As a sign of respect for both Iran and the U.S., Amir
offered nothing but transparency when applying for a visa to
Iran. He was assured that his past experience in the military
would not be an issue. However, on December 2011, Iran reported
that they had caught an American spy and my brother's face
appeared on Iranian-state television.
Our family received no warning of this by Iranian officials
and instead were faced with having to witness our brother be
wrongfully accused before being allowed to defend himself in
court. Days later, Amir was tried by Judge Salavati in the
Revolutionary Court. Amir did not meet his court-appointed
attorney until 5 minutes before his trial started. Relatives
were not allowed to attend his trial. It was held behind closed
doors and in only 15 minutes, Amir was charged with espionage,
corrupting the earth, and waging war against God. By the end of
the week, the media had announced without prior notification to
our family in the U.S. that Amir was sentenced to death. He
became the first American to receive the death sentence since
1979.
In March 2012, an appeals court overturned the charges
against Amir and annulled his death sentence, stating that
there was insufficient evidence to let the conviction stand. A
new trial took place in December 2013. That was when he found
out he had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for cooperating
with a hostile government, presumably because of his military
service to the U.S. The conviction of this crime confuses us.
Based on the Supreme Leader's own mandate, service in a foreign
military for a dual national is not illegal in Iran. Relations
between the U.S. and Iran are at a historic point. Even
according to Amir's Iranian attorney, how can the U.S. still be
considered a hostile country to Iran when we sit across from
them at the negotiating table for the first time in decades?
Iran wants to rejoin the international community, expand
their tourism industry, and help their economy grow. What
message does it send to Iranians who live abroad when Amir is
held as an innocent man behind the walls of Evin prison for
committing no crime? As a tourist, Amir was kidnapped from the
home of his relatives and taken to Evin prison. As a tourist,
he was held in a one meter by one meter cell, allowed out for
only 10 minutes a week to stretch his legs. He was beaten on
his feet with cables, tasered repeatedly. He was held for
months in solitary confinement.
To date, our family feels as though we have exhausted every
option. We have reached out to the U.N., human rights groups,
Islamic organizations, ambassadors from other nations and we
have engaged with high level officials from the
U.S. and Iran. Our only reassurance is being told by the
U.S. that Amir's case is being raised on the sidelines of the
negotiations and our reassurance from Iran is silence, only to
be told that Amir is an Iranian and that his case will be dealt
with according to Iranian law.
We thank Congressman Kildee and Senator Stabenow for their
efforts on our behalf, particularly arranging a meeting for our
family with Vice President Biden last month. We were very
grateful for his time and the compassion he showed my father
and our children who are 5 and 7 years old. After our meeting,
Vice President Biden tweeted about Amir. It was the time some
public mention had been made.
Our family is under no illusion that there are things we
cannot be told about the effort the government is undertaking
on Amir's behalf, but it does not make sense to our family how
previous American prisoners in Iran have been released when the
United States had no diplomatic relations with Iran and were
not sitting across the negotiating table much sooner than Amir.
Now is the time that this issue could and should be
resolved and yet August will mark 4 years Amir has been taken
from our family. And that brings me to my final point. Our
father has terminal brain cancer. Within the last year, he has
suffered several strokes. Our father now requires 24-hour care.
My mother could not be with us today. She is with my father
right now and she misses her son very much. Our father holds
on, hoping to hold Amir in his arms again, but fearful that he
will not. And he now resides in a wheelchair needing assistance
for everyday things you and I take for granted. The father Amir
left behind to visit his relatives in Iran is no longer the
same man now. We ask you to please do all that you can to help
fill this chair and bring Amir home. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Hekmati follows:]
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----------
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Sarah. Daniel.
STATEMENT OF MR. DANIEL LEVINSON (SON OF ROBERT LEVINSON)
Mr. Levinson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Daniel
Levinson and I am the eldest son of Robert Levinson who was
taken hostage on the Iranian island of Kish on March 9, 2007.
Unlike the other three Americans currently imprisoned in Iran,
the government has never acknowledged arresting him. The
closest evidence of this appeared less than 3 weeks after he
went missing, when the Iranian state-sanctioned media outlet
PressTV reported that he was ``in the hands of Iranian security
forces'' and could be ``freed in a matter of days.'' Three
thousand seven days later, we are still waiting for him to be
released and returned home to us.
My father is the longest-held hostage in American history.
No U.S. citizen has been held overseas longer than he has,
ever. Our family's hearts break for the other families here,
who have suffered the wrenching agony of having their loved
ones away from them for so long all of these years. Yet my
father has been held four and a half longer than any of the
others. No family should ever have to go through what we all
are going through.
To say these past 8 years and 3 months have been a
nightmare would be an understatement. I am one of my parents'
seven children, and my mother, who is here with us today, just
marked their 41st wedding anniversary last month. My father has
missed so many milestones: The births of three grandchildren,
two weddings, numerous high school and college graduations. To
put it simply, he has missed too much of our lives.
There is not a day that goes by when we don't think of him,
how much he must be suffering, and what we can do next to bring
him home. In November 2010, we were emailed a 1-minute video of
my father from an anonymous email address where he looked
gaunt, ill, and desperate. The last words we heard from him in
that video were ``33 years of service to the United States
deserves something. Please help me.'' Six months later, we
received several pictures from another anonymous email address
where he held various signs in broken English that appear to
have been produced by his captors in order to taunt the United
States Government. We are extremely worried about his health.
He is 67 years old, with several pressing health concerns
including diabetes, hypertension, and gout.
My father had a long career serving the United States. He
was still a contractor for the U.S. Government at the time of
his capture, and therefore the U.S. has a moral obligation to
help bring him home.
We have sought help through numerous heads of state,
Presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, NGOs, private
citizens, and religious leaders here and around the world, to
no avail. My mother, aunt, and I even traveled to Iran in 2007
to meet with officials there, but the trip ended with no
progress made on his case. This has been a bipartisan effort
spanning two U.S. presidencies, with lawmakers from both
parties working to bring him home. We are eternally grateful
for the efforts of members of this committee, including
Congressman Ted Deutch, who represents our home district in
Florida, and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who have
continued their efforts to highlight my father's case on the
House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East and North
Africa. Senator Bill Nelson has been our staunch advocate and
has given us voice to the powerful. However, my father is still
not here with us.
We were encouraged by the election of Iranian President
Hassan Rouhani, and the appointment of Javad Zarif as foreign
minister. They have sought active engagement with the United
States on a number of issues, but to our knowledge, have not
engaged on the topic of my father's capture in their country.
My family believes this engagement is by far our best
opportunity to bring my father home safely, and we need
American officials to ramp up this engagement as they meet in
the next few weeks over Iran's nuclear program. We need, in
fact, we implore negotiators to take a more aggressive approach
than merely asking for Iran's help in locating him. It is true
that those involved in the talks may not know where my father
is, or what happened to him, but we are certain that there are
people in Iran who do. We believe that, if the Iranian
Government had the will and motivation to locate my father and
send him home, they most certainly could.
My family will never rest until our father is back home
with us, and we can only hope the members of this committee,
along with those involved in discussions with Iran, share that
unwavering commitment. My father could be anyone's father, or
grandfather, or brother, or husband. He is all of those things
to my family. He is an American. And America should not rest
until one of its own is returned home to the family that loves
him more than life itself. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Levinson follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
----------
Chairman Royce. Thank you. I will go to Mrs. Abedini and
Ms. Hekmati for a question. I have read the reports on the
torture in prison. What I am interested in right now is the
mental well-being or the condition psychologically. If I could
ask you about your husband and about your brother.
Mrs. Abedini. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Actually, his mental
condition is my biggest worry even though his physical
condition is not very well. He doesn't get very much protein or
clean water and he is still suffering from the internal
injuries. But his mental is--him being taken in and out of
solitary three times now, being put in exile prison, being put
in a murderers' ward, the continuous pressure they have tried--
he is seen in early April. There was close to 50 prisoners in
his prison that were executed in Rajai Shahr. He is
continuously told that he should be given the death. He should
be--because he is a convert, because he is a Christian, he is
continually told he will never come out unless he denounces his
faith. His family, his father who is visiting him in Iran right
now is the greatest worry he has is his mental condition and
the psychological games they are playing with him. My biggest
worry as a wife and mother is the condition I will have to deal
with when he comes home.
Chairman Royce. Thank you. Sarah.
Ms. Hekmati. Similar to Naghmeh, she refers to
psychological games. Amir has been strung along for nearly 4
years. He said that during his court appearance for the 15
minutes that it was determined he was worthy of being sentenced
to death, that his attorney had reassured him that he could be
acquitted and be released in a year max. At that point he was
already serving 6 months. Now it is going on 4 years.
He has been told things like his mother was killed in a car
accident as a part of mental torture. At that time, he had no
way of communicating to our family to even determine whether
that was true or not. It has been a long ride for him to the
point that he has become emotionally numb and just doesn't
really know what to expect any more. So we do really worry
about his emotional well-being as well.
Chairman Royce. Last week on the eve of the beginning of
Jason's so-called trial, Washington Post editor Martin Baron
issued a statement that read in part: ``It is worth recalling
what kind of system we are dealing with. Jason was arrested
without charges. He was imprisoned in Iran's worst prison. He
was placed in isolation for many months and denied the medical
care he needed. His case was assigned to a judge
internationally notorious for human rights violations. He could
not select the lawyer of his choosing. He was given only 1\1/2\
hours to meet with a lawyer approved by the court. No evidence
has ever been produced by prosecutors or the court to support
these absurd charges. The trial date was only disclosed to
Jason's lawyer last week and now, unsurprisingly, but
unforgivably, it turns out the trial will be closed.''
Mr. Rezaian, have you been able to have any communication
with your brother?
Mr. Rezaian. I haven't spoken to my brother since last
July. My mother went to Iran and has been able to speak to him
just recently. The trial did begin last week and it adjourned
after 1 day.
Chairman Royce. How are his spirits right now?
Mr. Rezaian. Well, I think that it has been very difficult
for him to be so isolated. He is a very social person. I think
we are thankful that there is a process that is moving along,
but as we can see, we don't know what will come out of it. He
is happy that my mother is there. Although he is really
concerned because neither his wife nor my mother were able to
go to the trial when they started last week.
Chairman Royce. What would be the duration this charge
brings with it, what consequence?
Mr. Rezaian. You know, we have heard different things, but
I think that it could be years in prison is what we have heard,
possibly 10 years in prison or more.
Chairman Royce. Were there any other thoughts that any of
the witnesses would like to express at this time before I go to
Mr. Engel?
I thank you all for your testimony and we will now be going
to Mr. Eliot Engel of New York for his questions.
Mr. Engel. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And I
want to thank all four of you for the courage you have and for
your extraordinary testimony. I want to tell you something you
already know. I see Mr. Kildee is here. There isn't a moment
that Mr. Kildee hasn't stopped to talk to me about this case.
He has been relentless. Mr. Deutch as well. Mr. Huffman. I just
want you to know that we are all with you.
We cannot imagine the grief you are going through. And our
hearts are with you. We will do everything we can to bring them
home. And that is why we are having this hearing because we
hope that at this crucial juncture with less than a month to go
before there is supposedly an agreement with Iran, this is the
time to really bring forward the cases of your loved ones. This
is the time.
I must tell you that I feel so angry that at a time when we
are sitting with Iran and a number of you alluded to this and
mentioned this in your testimony, we are sitting with them to
discuss a new arrangement between our two countries and they
continue to poke us in the eye and continue to spit in our
face. I don't know how else to say it. It is ludicrous.
Mr. Rezaian, your brother, at this juncture when we are a
month away from perhaps having an agreement that they would
dare to put someone on trial, in a show trial, it just
infuriates me. It just infuriates me. While we don't want to
tie your cases to our talks because we don't want Iran or
others to bring in other issues, the fact of the matter is that
it is just infuriating and outrageous that they would do this;
that they would just spit in our faces.
So I just want to tell you that we are not letting any of
these four cases drop. We are united in trying to help you. And
I want to just thank you, all four of you for your tremendous,
tremendous courage. You know, if I let myself go, I would
probably cry. That is how genuine all of you are. So thank you
for your courage.
Let me ask anyone who would care to answer, we want to
obviously do everything possible to help bring them home and
create that kind of atmosphere. When we question the
administration, the President's people, when we are briefed and
we talk to them in private conversations, when we are briefed
as a Congress, they tell us that they raise the issue of the
American hostages each and every time they meet with the
Iranians. Is there anything that you can tell us that has not
been done that you would like to see us do or see the
administration do? Is there anything more than we can do?
I know having this hearing and us timing this hearing today
is obviously something that we are attempting to draw attention
to it, but is there something else that any of you think that
we should be doing perhaps?
Ms. Hekmati.
Ms. Hekmati. Thank you for asking that question because it
has been our frustration and it is not very comforting to know
that at this point and this juncture where we are at that it is
just being raised. And our question consistently when we ask
what the substantial response is from the Iranians is nothing
very substantial other than in my case, for example, with Amir,
that he is a dual national and they don't recognize his
American citizenship. So I don't know how often, if this is
being raised on a regular basis, are they just giving a flat
response or no response or what is the answer that they are
receiving?
Mr. Engel. Thank you. I can tell you it would just be
ludicrous and outrageous for us to have a deal with Iran that
doesn't include the bringing home of our hostages. You know, we
all remember, at least if you are as old as I am, 1979, when we
had these American hostages being held for more than a year and
the whole country was riveted on it. And then finally they were
brought home. Well, we want the country to be as riveted with
your loved ones so that they can come home safely. So I just
want to thank you all for your courage.
And for me, the devil is in the details. I am going to see
what the agreement is before I decide how I am voting, but it
would just be ludicrous for us to pretend that it is business
as usual. We are going to have a nice agreement with Iran. We
are going to look to the future. We are going to have better
relations and we are all going to hold hands and skip away
happily and Americans are rotting in prison? That is not
acceptable to me. And I hope it won't be acceptable to this
Congress. Thank you for your courage.
Chairman Royce. Well, Mr. Engel, if I could offer one
addendum to that, I think it would also be important, I talked
to a young Iranian who recently came to this country over the
weekend and she told me, I asked her about her experiences. She
said her parents brought her here because she would start every
morning with these chants in school, ``Death to America, Death
to Israel.'' And she said this at home and her parents said, we
are Jewish. We are concerned with the indoctrination. It is the
indoctrination of children in Iran today which produces the
types of jailers that want to torture those of other faiths. Or
want to torture Americans.
And I think it would be important that Iran cease this kind
of indoctrination of its children, stop the process of
poisoning the minds of the next generation because they are
setting up a condition in which when they become jailers or
they become judges, they treat other human beings this way.
We go to Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from Florida.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. And
thank you for sharing your families' stories. I can't even
begin to imagine the toll that this has taken on each and every
one of you and your loved ones, but it is so important that you
are here today and that you share the truth about what is going
on in Iran inside this so-called moderate regime that we have
got with Rouhani. And it is no secret that the human rights
situation in Iran under Rouhani, who was selected by the
Supreme Leader, has actually gotten worse and he continues to
use your loved ones as pawns.
The Iranian regime responds to strength and they see us as
weak right now, but our American citizens must not have a
target on their back when they go to places like Iran and
anywhere else because of this perception by the Iranian regime
of us being weak. And your loved ones are American citizens. We
demand their immediate, safe, and unconditional return now.
I wanted to ask you about these nuclear talks. Do you worry
that when the negotiations and we know with this deadline, but
it will go on, do you worry that our leverage will not be there
or some of you believe that we should not be discussing your
loved ones during these negotiations, that it is a separate
item?
So I wanted to ask your feelings about, your thoughts about
how the nuclear negotiations and these talks impact the
imprisonment or the disappearance of your loved ones.
Mr. Levinson?
Mr. Levinson. Thank you. I appreciate that question because
I think it is very important and relevant to the current
situation. My family has always been supportive of engagement
with the Iranians. We do worry that regardless of the outcome
of the deal, whether there is a successful deal, and there is
improved relations, I don't know if there will be a sense of
urgency to get any of our family members home anymore because
it would be propaganda win for both the regime and for us--I
guess it is a win for the administration, but there is no
urgency anymore to increase the pressure and this is a very
pressing issue that has lasted years for most of us.
I think if the talks fail and there is no deal, we could
lose the engagement and the constructive talks that we are
having right now. And those could cease and we are back to
square one, particularly for my family as well.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you very much, Mr. Levinson. Ms.
Abedini, I saw that you were agreeing.
Mrs. Abedini. Yes, I agree. I think these next few weeks is
a very crucial time. If we don't get the Americans out, I don't
know when we will have more leverage. I agree with Mr. Levinson
that either way, we lose if we don't get the Americans out
before an agreement is reached or not reached. We only have a
few weeks left. And while we still have leverage, while the
Iranian Government would still be motivated at some degree to
release them.
As I mentioned, as the family members have said, they are
being held on bogus charges. There is no evidence. They are
being held because they are Americans or because of their
freedom of practice, freedom of speech, and religion. So I
think this is a very crucial time.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. I wanted to ask just in the minute
remaining following up on Mr. Engel's question, what more can
we do in Congress? What more can the administration do?
Mr. Rezaian. Thank you for the opportunity and thank you
for the concern for everybody. Not being a diplomat or a policy
expert, I would say that the things that you are doing right
now, bringing attention to the case, showing unanimity, and the
bipartisan support that we have seen for this type of activity
is certainly very helpful.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Ms. Hekmati?
Ms. Hekmati. I was obviously again like Ali said, not from
a policy expert, but maybe reaching out to bilateral
governments that have a good relationship with the Iranians
because they tend to resist any kind of interaction from the
U.S. or the Swiss, for example, that were the intermediary
before. So perhaps reaching out to foreign officials as well.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Mr. Levinson?
Mr. Levinson. I also agree that for us the most important
thing is to keep it in the eye of the administration and the
American public because in this day and age, this is a great
hearing and it is going to generate news and we need that, but
in a few days, people may forget about it and they will likely
forget about it. And then, we are back to where we were.
And so seeing the U.S. Congress, making this such a
priority is crucial to all of us. We have a limited window
right now with the engagement going on and if we can at least
keep it up through that and past that until all of our family
members are home, it would mean the world to all of us I know.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you. You are not alone. Thank you
so much, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Ted Deutch of Florida, ranking member
on the Middle East Subcommittee.
Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, first, I
would thank all four of our witnesses for being here. I was
reminded during your testimony of how much your four family
members really reflect so much about what we value in our
country. Obviously, the commitment to family that all four of
you have expressed so powerfully.
Mrs. Abedini, the role that faith plays for you and in our
country. Ms. Hekmati, the story, the immigrant story that you
described, your family coming, your parents coming to this
country to provide opportunities for their children which is
really also so much the story of our country and the service to
our country that Amir bravely served as a Marine. Ali, freedom
of speech and freedom of expression that we so often take for
granted, it is impossible for us to do that as we listen to you
talk about your brother. And as much as anything we are a
nation that perseveres. And Dan, for 8 years and 3 months that
you and your mother and your siblings have endured, you have
persevered because 8 years and 3 months is just too long and he
has missed, as you said, too much of your lives.
And so I would ask, you have all been told, we have been
told that these talks on the sidelines there is a focus on all
four of your families. And you have answered what more should
be done in our communication with our Government, other
governments. I guess what I would ask you is to take advantage
of this opportunity. If you were on the sidelines, if you were
sitting with the Iranian foreign minister, what would you say?
What would you tell them?
Please, Mrs. Abedini?
Mrs. Abedini. I would say no more discussions until first
you release the Americans, and then we will talk further.
Mr. Deutch. Mr. Rezaian?
Mr. Rezaian. I think I would have to ask what do they think
they are accomplishing? What are they doing to their own image
if they want to join the community of nations which is their
stated goal, become more normalized. How do they think that
this helps them at all?
Mr. Deutch. Ms. Hekmati?
Ms. Hekmati. That is a tough question. I think just really
trying to understand what leverage does these civilians who
have no clout or leverage in winning over any kind of
concessions for Iranians or with the United States. They need
to be removed from this. So really just trying to understand
what leverage they have.
Mr. Deutch. Dan?
Mr. Levinson. That is also a very tough question for us
because we are just desperate for anything, any kind of
answers, any acknowledgment that he is there, anything that
will provide us, give us hope. So that would be the first
start. We have been reaching out for that for years and we are
just--we want anything.
Mr. Deutch. Mr. Chairman, I would just finish by telling
all of you, starting with you, Dan, we share your unwavering
commitment to bring your family members home. And Ali so that
Jason and Paxton can see an A's game this year. Naghmeh, so
that you can bring your children's daddy home. Sarah, so your
father, especially, has an opportunity to embrace his son. And
Dan, so at this point, so you and your mother, Christine, your
entire family, no longer have to celebrate milestones without
your father.
I would finish just by telling again to all four of you
that we will continue to be your advocates and bring your
family members home will continue to be a priority for
Congress. We will continue to press to make sure that it is a
priority for the administration, but I want to thank you for
your willingness to come here today to testify because I think,
Dan, you are right. We sometimes--we have a short attention
span in this country, but it is impossible to hear the four of
you share in the most personal terms the impact of the fact
that all four of you are missing your family members without
being moved by it. And so I am sure that after today, the
American people will continue to stand by you, as we will,
until your family members are brought home. We are so grateful
for your participation.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Chris Smith of New Jersey.
Mr. Smith. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And I, too,
want to thank our very distinguished witnesses, very powerful
testimony on behalf of a son, a brother, sister, and of course,
a husband. Hopefully, the Iranians are listening. It is still a
country in relatively good standing at the United Nations and I
would be wondering if any of you would like to speak to how
well or poorly the U.N., the Human Rights Council or Ban Ki
moon, for example, has he raised each or any of your cases
personally with Rouhani and other high officials in the Iranian
Government?
I met with Zarif some years ago on behalf of Saeed Abedini
and he commented to me and a few others who were in that
meeting that this is different than Ahmadinejad's government,
that Rouhani is different. And I said if you want to really
demonstrate that difference, the bold stroke is human rights.
Start with the Americans, Mr. Levinson. How many days, 3,000
days? It wasn't 3,000 then, but it certainly was thousands.
Release the Americans. And we will say a new page has been
turned and that Iran is on a different trajectory than it has
been on in the past under Ahmadinejad.
Sadly, and with great tragedy, it seems it has actually
gotten worse when it comes to human rights and the holding of
four innocent Americans, the torture, the mistreatment is
absolutely appalling and brings dishonor to the country or the
government, not the country, and not the people, but the
Government of Iran.
And so I would tell you, your testimony by the grace of God
will be heard by the ears of the Iranian leadership and Zarif
and others--I mean Zarif was educated in Denver and in
California. He knows Americans. He knows that human rights do
matter and he talks a good game. It is about time he showed it
with his actions.
So my comments to you, we will persist on. Mr. Levinson,
you pointed out that we need to keep this in the eye of the
administration. Hopefully, they will keep it in everybody
else's eye. This is something that should be talked about,
discussed, not on the fringes and on the sidelines of the
negotiations, but as a mainstay issue and whether the
negotiations on nuclear issues succeed or fail, we will be
there, I believe, as a Congress and hopefully, the President
tenaciously pushing for the release until that happy day does
arrive.
Mrs. Abedini, you have mentioned that you have been to the
European Parliament and the Bundestag. You might want to
elaborate on how well received you were there, because
obviously the European countries are very involved with the
nuclear talks and they do care about human rights.
And again, if any of you have any insights on whether or
not the U.N. has been feckless and ineffective or whether or
not they have embraced each or any of your cases, your family
cases with the Iranian Government.
Mrs. Abedini.
Mrs. Abedini. Thank you, Congressman Smith. The U.N., I
have spoken before the U.N. and I know Ban Ki Moon has raised
that case with the Iranian Government. Recently, the working
group of the United Nations released the report saying that
Iran is breaking its own laws and international laws by holding
Saeed in prison and they should compensate every day of his
imprisonment. So the U.N. has continuously spoken out about
Saeed's imprisonment. Many countries at the U.N. have spoken
out.
My recent trip to the European Parliament was very helpful.
One of the Vice Presidents took Saeed on as a political sponsor
and I was assured by many high officials at the European
Parliament that Saeed's case would be raised, especially their
foreign relations committees and their human rights committees
were very involved.
My trip to Germany and Berlin was very helpful. I met with
Mr. Kauder who was one level down from the Chancellor and he
was very helpful in making sure that Saeed's case is not only
raised in the next few weeks during the talks, but also that
Saeed's case is raised continuously with Iran and their human
rights issues.
I got to also meet with the head of the human rights group
in all of Germany and also the Iran section and it has been
very helpful both with the European Parliament and the German
Parliament working with their foreign relations and their
religious freedom or their human rights group. It was very
helpful. I received a lot of commitments and promises to
advocate not only for Saeed, but also for religious freedom and
human rights issues in Iran.
Mr. Smith. Thank you. I see I am out of time.
Hopefully, the Special Rapporteur also raised it with the
Iranians.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Smith. Mr. Lowenthal? Mr.
Lowenthal is going to pass. Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating will pass.
Mr. Kildee.
Mr. Kildee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and again, thank you
and ranking member for allowing me, a person who is not a
member of the committee, to participate in this important
hearing.
First of all, the committee will take up a resolution that
will call for the immediate release of Amir Hekmati and the
others. Amir is my constituent, somebody that I feel--though I
have never met Amir, I have become very close with the Hekmati
family and I feel as though I know him. And if he is anything
like you, Sarah, or your parents, it is no wonder that he has
been able to sustain himself in nearly 4 years in one of the
worst places on earth. The strength, the will that you
demonstrate, obviously is something, and the other family
members demonstrate, is something that your family members
obviously share.
We have over 160 Members of Congress that have co-sponsored
this resolution and at a time, we have to acknowledge this, at
a time when there is very little agreement often on big
questions that we are trying to wrestle with here in Congress,
it is really important that this Congress speak with one
unified voice on behalf of the millions and millions of people
that we all represent and make sure that Iran hears loud and
clear that they cannot be accepted into the international
community if they continue to hold innocent Americans who are
guilty of nothing other than being Americans against their
will, for whatever political purposes they think they are
achieving.
And so I thank the chairman and the ranking member for
working with me to present this language to the committee. And
I hope other members that have not yet signed on will do so and
that we can get a resolution to the floor as soon as possible.
One other point that I would like to make and then I have a
question or two. The P5+1 negotiations, the nuclear
negotiations with Iran do provide something that we have not
had in 35 years and that is the opportunity for direct,
acknowledged, direct bilateral discussions between Iran and the
United States. But I do think that it is important and I have
heard loud and clear some of the comments made by other members
and I share the frustration, but I think it is really important
that we make it clear that the onus is on Iran to release these
Americans if they expect any negotiated agreement or any other
engagement with the rest of the world to be taken seriously.
And I say that to especially underscore the point that the
freedom of Mr. Rezaian, Mr. Abedini, Amir Hekmati, Mr.
Levinson, the freedom of these innocent Americans should not be
exchanged for any concession regarding Iran's nuclear
capabilities or any reduction in economic sanctions that have
forced them to the table. Iran must act unilaterally if they
expect any agreement or any engagement to be taken on face
value. So I think that is an important point and it is
important that we understand this moment provides us the chance
to engage Iran on this question, but that we not conflate the
freedom of these Americans with the items that are being
negotiated regarding those nuclear capabilities.
No American, and I know Amir feels this way, wants to be
exchanged for something that we would grant to Iran regarding
their ability to threaten the safety of the rest of the world.
Iran must act unilaterally and the U.S. must continue to press
that point. I think that is a really important distinction.
For me, as many of the members know, this has sort of
become personal and I hope that that is the case for other
members. I know it is for the other members that represent the
families here, but I hope for all members we look at this as a
personal mission. These are American citizens. These are people
who are part of us and we need to do everything we can. We need
to press Iran and press our administration to be as strong as
we possibly can.
Sarah, I wonder if you might talk to us a little bit about
the contact that you--I know there has been occasional, not
much, occasional contact, but there was some discussion about
how Amir is doing. Can you expand a bit on how he is doing
physically and emotionally? I know the last few months
especially have been particularly trying for Amir. If you could
just tell a little bit more of his story in terms of how he is
doing now, I think that would be helpful.
Ms. Hekmati. You know, it is a testament to Amir's
character to note that Amir, when he learned that my father was
diagnosed, it was late in the game. My father was already
diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment and Amir had
no idea. We did not have any contact with Amir for the first 2
years, no phone calls were allowed. We were not allowed to send
letters. However, as of this past year, he has been allowed
short phone calls. They are sanctioned phone calls, obviously.
My mother is the primary person that receives the phone calls
and he has his moments of hope when he hears that there is new
developments in the political climate between the U.S. and Iran
and then sometimes that hope falls. Obviously, he is always
cautiously optimistic, but holding his breath because he knows
that he has been strung along for now going on 4 years.
And you know, it is just a testament to him as much as this
is really--you know, he has referred to his situation in some
instances as he has died 100 times in this situation, so much
so that he has become numb and just hardened himself to the
fact that he doesn't know. Like he has to kind of resign to
maybe he is stuck here for 10 years. He doesn't want to hold
that in his mind. He wants to have hope. So we want to be able
to give him hope, but it is almost psychological torture for
our family to have his phone calls every day for 5 minutes and
then to say what is new? And there is nothing new for us to
give him. It has been painful for him and for us as well.
Mr. Kildee. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Royce. Thank you. Mr. Dana Rohrabacher of
California.
Mr. Rohrabacher. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I
thank the witnesses. I thank you personally, Mr. Chairman, and
Ranking Member Eliot Engel for providing leadership in issues
like this that you both continue to make us proud to serve on
this committee.
I was in the Reagan White House during the Iran Contra
fiasco and it started with concern about hostages being held by
radical Islamists and a negotiation with the mullah regime to
try to get them free. That turned into an absolute fiasco and
we should have learned our lesson and you do not negotiate with
the Iranian mullah regime as long as it is holding the
hostages. And if you say we will not be negotiating with you,
that will give them some reason to actually let them go.
I don't think that they pay any attention to the
expressions of sympathy and solidarity that we have heard
today. They don't care what we say here. They don't care what
we think, as long as we don't have some action behind what we
are talking about.
Now I support this resolution. I think it is a first good
step. And I thank our leadership for bringing it forward and
focusing the attention of this committee on this issue. I would
hope that when we get done, however, that my colleagues would
join me and our leadership would work with me on legislation
that would suggest that if the mullah regime continues to hold
these hostages, and we consider it an illegal holding of
hostages, that any representative of the mullah regime that
goes outside the borders of Iran would be susceptible of being
taken into custody and held until the hostages are free. Maybe
they would listen to that. Maybe they would be--if we arrested
one of the leaders that is responsible for holding your
families and held them, saying you are engaged in blackmail.
You are engaged in an activity that we consider to be illegal,
then you will be held until those people are free, until your
government has changed its policy. We have to do something like
that or they will not pay attention.
And one last thing about the negotiations we have had, the
fact is that the negotiations we have had with the mullah
regime and thinking how important it is for this nuclear
agreement, even though we realize if we make an agreement with
them on this nuclear facility so that it can't produce the
material for a nuclear weapon, even if we get that, they can
buy a nuclear weapon. They can buy it. Twenty-five million
dollars, they go to Pakistan or North Korea or whatever. But
what these negotiations have done have prevented us from being
tough on issues like this, where we should be tough because it
means something. So I again thank the chairman, I thank the
witnesses for bringing this to our attention. I hope that we
actually get together now, now that the leadership has brought
up the issue, put it on the table. I hope we come up with a
solution that is going to get their attention and force
decision making by the mullah regime.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to the
witnesses.
Chairman Royce. Thank you. We go now to Robin Kelly of
Illinois.
Ms. Kelly. I don't really have a question. I just want to
thank you for coming here and sharing your stories with all of
us. I really appreciate that and I hope that something can be
done where your relatives are freed. And I just want to thank
Representative Kildee for his leadership in this effort. So
thank you for being here.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Michael McCaul of Texas.
Mr. McCaul. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the
witnesses. I was a Federal prosecutor for many years and we
have due process in this country. We have freedom of religion.
And I look at these charges and I mean it is unreal.
Ms. Abedini, your husband's crime was attending peaceful
church gatherings for, as you put it, believing in Jesus Christ
is a threat to the national security of the Iranian Government.
I just find that astounding and for that belief, he is thrown
into prison. What does that say about our negotiating partner?
Are they really acting in good faith?
And Ms. Hekmati, your brother being put in a one meter by
one meter cell and beaten and tortured, I can't imagine what he
is going through. And I know you think about it every day of
your life. And what is his crime? Corrupting the earth and
being an enemy of God? Cooperating with the United States? What
kind of charge is that?
And now all the while we are doing these negotiations, it
seems to me, Ms. Abedini, as you mentioned, now is the time to
increase the pressure to release these American hostages. Now
is the time we have the negotiations and I would argue you are
absolutely correct. We should halt these negotiations until
these prisoners are released. We should stop the negotiation
until they agree to release our American hostages first and
foremost. But I am afraid that is not going to happen.
I am concerned also about what are we doing to facilitate
the release of your loved ones. We have had witnesses come
before this committee from the administration that talk about
this issue, but we get very little information. I wanted to
just ask each one of you what has the administration done to
further the release of your loved one? And I will start with
Mr. Rezaian.
Mr. Rezaian. Well, I think I am fortunate because it is
possible the administration learned some things from some of
the previous situations. I have been in touch with State
Department. They have spoken with the Iranian Government. They
have worked with the Swiss protecting power as well, although
the Iranians won't give Jason access to consulate access. So
those kinds of things.
And they have been in touch on numerous occasions. When I
have questions, I am able to contact them.
Mr. McCaul. Ms. Abedini?
Mrs. Abedini. I have been in contact with the State
Department regularly. They share with me, as Ms. Hekmati has
mentioned, that they are being discussed on the sidelines and
the Iranians are not really responding to that. And if we
continue this talking for the last 3, 2, over 2\1/2\ years,
almost 3 years of talking on the sidelines, it is not really
working. Still they are not released. It has been almost 3
years for our family and in a few weeks it will be 3 years
since we have seen Saeed.
My frustration is that I appreciate that they are being
discussed on the sidelines, but they are still not home. Where
is the action? Where are the results? I don't see any result.
Iran continues to shrug it off and not really respond to our
discussions on the sidelines. As I mentioned, this is crucial
time. Iran has to feel some pressure to want to release the
Americans. They are not going to do it through sideline
discussions and just chit-chatting. I hope there is some
pressure as this is a crucial time to bring these Americans
home. And the pain and suffering of all of our families. Even
one day, we would appreciate it.
Mr. McCaul. American hostages should be the priority, not
be placed on the sidelines.
Mrs. Abedini. Exactly.
Mr. McCaul. Ms. Hekmati?
Ms. Hekmati. Right, just to chime in with the rest. It
pretty much has been a lot of our family informing them of what
has been going on and the process in Iran and then being
reassured that it is a priority and that it has been raised.
Obviously, they have done some facilitating of engagement with
governments that are bilateral, have a bilateral relationship
with the U.S. and Iran and reaching out to them. And they have
reassured us that they have these nations. Whenever there is an
opportunity to engage with the Iranians that they reach out and
they ask about the cases of the prisoners being held there.
However, again, I reiterate prior to us even having this
face-to-face engagement, these prisoners that were American
that have been released have never been held as long as, for
example, Amir, and he is going on 4 years where we are sitting
face-to-face. So I am wondering how effective is this raising
of it on the sidelines of these negotiations really at this
point? And I think that we are beyond that.
Mr. McCaul. I see that my time is expired, but Mr.
Levinson, just very quickly.
Mr. Levinson. I am afraid we are in the same boat because
right now it has been on the sidelines, but for years we didn't
have any kind of engagement, so this has been progress. My
father is a retired FBI agent, so we have been working very
closely with the FBI, but they had limited powers in what they
can do.
I just want to note real quick in case someone--there are
people watching this online in Iran, the FBI has offered a $5-
million reward for the safe return of my father. So we would
like that to be highlighted as well.
Mr. McCaul. It is a good point. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Royce. We go now to Mr. Matt Salmon, chairman of
the Asia Subcommittee.
Mr. Salmon. Thanks a lot. First of all, Ms. Hekmati, I just
wanted to acknowledge the fact that your brother was born in
Arizona in Flagstaff where I am from and a lot of prayers and
thoughts are coming from Arizona.
The other thing I wanted to comment on is that I think you
have one of the greatest advocates in the universe helping you
with Montel Williams. He is great guy. I have never seen a
Marine in trouble that he didn't step forward to bail out.
Worked with him on Andrew Tahmooressi. And I just think the
world of Montel Williams. He is an American hero. You have got
the right guy helping you out.
Ms. Hekmati. We were all born in Flagstaff.
Mr. Salmon. That is great. We love Flagstaff.
Ms. Hekmati. We do, too.
Mr. Salmon. Mrs. Abedini, I just wanted to make a comment
to you how moving your testimony of Jesus Christ was to me
personally. You know, in some of my darkest hours in my life
when I thought that there was nobody for me, he was. And when I
was a young missionary for the Mormon Church in Taiwan, I had
some cards printed up that ``a true friend is one that walks in
when the rest of the world walks out.'' What I found in my life
is he always walks in. I was very, very moved by your
testimony. And I wanted you to know that I truly do believe
also he won't let you down.
We do hold the cards, folks. We do hold the cards. We just
voted a few weeks ago to require a vote by the Congress on any
deal that the Obama administration strikes with Iran and I
think we should state unequivocally both from the House and the
Senate that any deal with Iran is dead on arrival that doesn't
include the release of these prisoners. That is what we should
say. And we should do it either through a joint letter of
Members of Congress. A number of us from the House and the
Senate side, I think if we can achieve a critical mass saying
that any deal is dead on arrival that doesn't deal with this
prisoner release. And I think that we say that I know right now
it seems like the President wants a deal more than life itself
on this nuclear thing which I am very, very skeptical about to
begin with. But it seems like that ought to be the one
fundamental thing that we can all agree on. If it doesn't
include that, it is done.
Mr. Rezaian, I am curious about the charges of your
brother. Do you have any idea of how the Iranian Government
became aware of your brother's American visa application
submitted to the U.S. consulate in Dubai and the letter that he
wrote to the Obama administration as part of a job application?
Has there been any investigation how they were able to obtain
that information that they are using as evidence against your
brother?
Mr. Rezaian. Our assumption is it came from his computer.
When they came, they took his computers, phones, all those
kinds of things. So we believe that is where it came from.
Mr. Salmon. I learned early in my youth when I was a little
boy I got picked on by a bully in the school yard and the only
thing that bullies understand is a punch in the nose. And I
think that is how we have to deal with Iran.
Look, on this deal that they are talking about that the
President is negotiating, it means billions and billions and
billions of dollars to these guys. The very least we can do is
step forward and say any deal is dead without the release of
these prisoners and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McCaul [presiding]. The Chair recognizes Mr. Duncan
from South Carolina.
Mr. Duncan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am sorry. I am sorry
the United States Government has failed you and your families.
These prisoners are American citizens and that should mean
something. It does to the men and women in this room and the
United States Congress, the 160 plus people that have signed
this resolution, the 90 people in the Senate that voted for a
similar resolution.
You know, I think about the fact that more attention was
given to the Natalie Holloway disappearance in Aruba 10 years
ago than has been given to your loved ones imprisoned in Iran.
I want to take this moment to thank those that are around
the world that are praying for you and your families. I join
them in those prayers and ask that God will keep you from
having that pain every morning that you have talked about, Mrs.
Abedini. That God will comfort them wherever they may be,
whatever jail cell, or situation that they are facing today,
that they will understand that there are folks here in the
United States that love them and care for them and are doing
everything we can to effect their release.
I agree with Mr. Kildee when he said that there shouldn't
be any quid pro quo here with negotiations with Iran over their
nuclear weapon. That is an issue that America doesn't want to
see in the Western world and the free world doesn't want to see
Iran have a nuclear weapon. But if Iran wants to enter the
international community and be taken seriously, they need to
release these prisoners that were taken forcefully from an
apartment of their loved ones. These are American citizens.
We have seen the United States Senate pass by a vote of 90
to nothing, a non-binding resolution stating that the United
States Government should undertake every effort, using every
diplomatic tool at its disposal to secure their immediate
release.
We are getting ready to pass the same thing by a vote in
this committee. I look forward to the opportunity to talking
about your loved ones from the floor of the United States House
of Representatives continuing to raise awareness. But this is a
resolution. What can we do? You heard the gentleman from
Arizona, Mr. Salmon, talk about we have tools at our disposal,
pieces of legislation that give the United States Government
leverage over this regime, leverage with more sanctions. We
shouldn't be lifting any sanctions until these prisoners are
released because these prisoners are American citizens and that
is what America is about.
Congress still retains that ability. Do you believe that
further legislative action is necessary? What more can we be
doing? I am going to ask each one of you, what more can we be
doing?
Mr. Rezaian.
Mr. Rezaian. As I said before, I am not a policy expert.
You guys are the policy experts. I am in favor of any kind of
activity from you guys, from Congress, from the President and
the State Department that would get Jason out as soon as
possible. I will leave it to the experts to decide.
Mr. Duncan. Ms. Abedini.
Mrs. Abedini. I would say help bring my husband home before
you consent to any deal. When you are reviewing the deal,
consider whether they are home or not. Thank you.
Mr. Duncan. I want to ask you real quick. You said you were
in communication with the State Department. Do they call you or
do you call them?
Mrs. Abedini. They call me, both, when I have updates I
contact them, but they contact me regularly. It has been very
good communication, especially the last year. Again, it is
always discussed on the sidelines and Iran continues not to
respond.
Mr. Duncan. That is good that they call you and you are not
in the dark. I appreciate that.
Ms. Hekmati, what more can we be doing?
Ms. Hekmati. I mean obviously in my limited knowledge of
what you can do, I just think continuing to keep this in the
forefront of this administration, especially when Secretary
Kerry is engaged with them and what is the response and
continuing to push and understanding what it is going to take
to bring them home. I just don't want this to be forgotten.
I know when the hostages were taken in '79, this was
something we as a family have a countdown of how many days he
has been in prison. I think that countdown needs to exist for
all of the prisoners and it needs to be visible.
Mr. Duncan. Thank you. Mr. Levinson?
Mr. Levinson. As I mentioned, keeping it in the headlines
is ultimately most important and we are just ordinary Americans
and we are doing our very best, but you guys are the ones who
can make the headlines. And I know in a couple of days, God
willing, they get home in the next couple of days, but it is
very unlikely that will happen. The next couple of days, when
you get home and you see that it out of the headlines, think
about what can you do to keep this in the public eye. What can
you do to keep the pressure up on our Government to make sure
it is not forgotten.
I know I will go home and I will think about my dad all
day, every day, and Americans won't be doing that. And in a
couple of days, can you remember our family members who are
suffering over there and think about what they are doing when
you are brushing your teeth, when you are at home with your
kids, thinking about what they are missing out on. And if you
guys have any power to remind everybody in the world what is
going on, please use any tools at your disposal.
Mr. Duncan. And it happens. And you all please know your
loved ones have not been forgotten. Every day the floor of the
United States House, someone goes to the floor with a 1-minute
speech to remind Americans, and I want to thank the gentleman
sitting behind you, Montel, for staying engaged in this.
As I talked about, Natalie Holloway's case, 10 years ago
had all of this national attention. Where is the national
attention for their loved ones that are in prison in Iran?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the leniency and I yield back.
Chairman Royce [presiding]. Thank you. We go now to Mr.
Randy Weber of Texas.
Mr. Weber. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank you all for
being here today and I have some real quick questions.
Mr. Rezaian, when was the last time you spoke with your
brother?
Mr. Rezaian. We spoke in July about 3 days before he was
taken. He was planning to come on vacation to the U.S.
Mr. Weber. Mrs. Abedini, when was the last time you spoke
with your husband?
Mrs. Abedini. The Iranian Government hasn't allowed any
calls. His father visits him in prison every Wednesday.
Mr. Weber. But when is the last time you personally spoke
with your husband?
Mrs. Abedini. Before his sentence in January 2013, there
was a sanctioned call for probably about 4 or 5 minutes.
Mr. Weber. So about 2 years, 4 months ago, give or take?
Mrs. Abedini. Yes.
Mr. Weber. Ms. Hekmati, when is the last time you spoke
with your brother?
Ms. Hekmati. Me, personally, a week ago, for 5 minutes. And
again, I noted that he has been able to call almost daily for
about 5 minutes.
Mr. Weber. And Mr. Levinson, your dad?
Mr. Levinson. March 8, 2007, 3,008 days ago.
Mr. Weber. Over 8 years ago?
Mr. Levinson. Yes.
Mr. Weber. I hope the administration is paying attention.
You all are real people with real lives and real pain. This is
really bad, real bad, real serious. None of us wanted this. I
don't feel like we started this. This regime, and I will call
them a thuggish regime, has started holding hostages in '79 and
for the administration to be negotiating with these thugs in my
estimation is just real foolishness.
I think and I appreciate my brother Duncan's comments over
here that somebody goes to the floor of the House daily with a
1-minute to remind the American people how really bad this is
and I appreciate his comments.
I think Congress should get real serious. No agreement
period until Iran releases the hostages. They want to re-enter
the world community. We keep hearing they want to re-enter the
world community. Well, if they want to do that, then they need
to get real serious right now. I just hope that John Kerry,
President Obama, and everybody on their team that is in the
negotiation phase would quite frankly come to their senses and
say if human rights isn't everything, isn't the main thing when
you are dealing with this kind of regime, how can you trust
them on anything else?
And so I just hope and pray that our President and John
Kerry wakes up and understands the dilemma that is before us
today and how long it has been going on. Mr. Levinson, 3,000
days?
Mr. Levinson. 3,007.
Mr. Weber. 3,007. This is unconscionable that we would be
dealing with a regime like that. And if this hearing, if
nothing else, if you all being willing to come out and through
your pain and share with us, so that we can get some attention,
if our President and our Secretary of State would pay attention
and make this an issue, then we might be able to help bring
your loved ones home and I pray real soon.
And Mr. Chairman, I am going to yield back before my time.
Thank you.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Darrell Issa of California.
Mr. Issa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank our
witnesses for being here today. Usually, when we have
witnesses, their testimony is a series of complex facts. Today,
very clearly your facts are pretty simple. We have a rogue
nation that has been a rogue nation since 1979 when it took our
Embassy in violation of all sensibilities in the global
community, held them, blaming, pointing fingers at students
when, in fact, it was the new government that took those
hostages, those diplomats, many of them covered by
international diplomatic immunity.
Your loved ones are not covered by diplomatic immunity, but
they should be covered by the sensibility of fair and honest
trials and they are not. So you have this committee, I think,
on an incredibly bipartisan basis support that we will, in
fact, continue to use such powers we have, including
resolutions and opposing the President's normalizing of
relations with Iran in any way as long as not just they do or
don't have nuclear ambitions, but they do or don't respect the
rules of the civilized community and whether that is unlawfully
keeping your loved ones in various levels of detention support
for Hezbollah and Hamas, the various global terrorism they have
supported, or in fact, their continued attempt to destabilize
country after country throughout the Muslim world.
So like many of the members here, there aren't a lot more
questions to be asked of you. You have done a great job of
explaining the plight of your loved ones. I do very much
support the chairman's effort to make it very clear that Iran
has to change its ways in three ways: Abandon its nuclear
desires; treat both their own citizens and their visitors with
a level of respect and rule of law that they clearly do not at
this time; and stop their attempt to destabilize countries in
the world, but particularly within their region.
And so, Mr. Chairman, I, too, will be yielding back, but I
would ask if any of the witnesses wanted to add anything from
their observations to things that we should be aware of in our
deliberation here relative to Iran. Again, thank you. And I
yield back.
Chairman Royce. We go to Mr. Meadows of North Carolina.
Mr. Meadows. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank each of you for
being here today and sharing your personal story.
Mr. Levinson, today is the first day that I have met you,
but I feel like I have known your family because Mr. Deutch on
each and every hearing, he hasn't missed one, has raised this
particular issue with the Secretary of State, Mr. Kerry,
sitting at that same table, he has done that. So I feel like I
know your family. Honestly, I had to Google it the first time
that he mentioned it, and shame on me for that.
For many of you, this is the first time I have met you, but
Ms. Abedini, it is not the first time for us. I just need to
ask your forgiveness, because we have been working very hard to
get your husband who is a U.S. citizen and his only crime was
that he cared about other people. And this goes back many,
many, many months. We met in New York. I met, at that
particular time, with Foreign Minister Zarif, personally and
raised this issue. We have had conversations. We have had
hearings. We have talked to the State Department. And each and
every time we wanted to make sure that we did no harm, that we
were gentle in our negotiations to make sure that we didn't
create a worse situation for your family members.
I have run out of patience. The time is now. The time must
be now and we have heard these words from Mr. Kildee, who is
advocating on behalf of a constituent. This is a bipartisan
issue. It is not Republican or Democrat. We have come together.
But we have failed many of you and what I want to make sure
that is clear, the message to Iran today is in the late '70s
there were thugs and terrorists that took hostages and they
wore ski masks and dark clothing. And the only difference today
is that the terrorists and thugs wear suits and give the
illusion of being international diplomats. That is not the
case.
So you have my commitment that I won't vote for a deal. I
will advocate tirelessly with my colleagues on both sides of
the aisle to make sure that no deal is signed until your family
members come home. And it is a precondition of what we must do.
It is not a sidebar. It is not a note that we are doing soft
diplomacy. It is time for real, hard facts and it is time that
we demand that U.S. citizens return home to their families.
So you have my apologies for not being effective. I pray
that there are no more birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays
that are missed, until they come home.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Lee Zeldin of New York.
Mr. Zeldin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And as I listen to Mr.
Meadows, we are all reminded of the passion and emotion and
investment that so many of my colleagues have toward this
effort. I am honored to serve with them in moments like now
where you see that kind of passion on both sides of the aisle,
both Republicans and Democrats from all across America who want
to be part of the successful effort to bring back your loved
ones.
I also very much appreciate the fact that you have gotten
individuals with followings from around America to take up this
cause to raise awareness because I think that is a key part of
this effort is to raise awareness as to what is going on. It is
hard to work your way through Twitter without coming across a
hashtag #FreeAmirNow. I know that people like Montel Williams
go on national TV to help the cause. I personally don't believe
the negotiations should have started without freeing your loved
ones.
The President of the United States believes in making good-
faith concessions when he starts negotiations with other
countries. The President of the United States made a slew of
dozens of concessions before starting a negotiation with Cuba.
Right now, our leverage is being negotiated away at the table
and I am concerned with everything that isn't part of the
negotiation right now including returning your loved ones back
to your homes so you can be able to start enjoying holidays
together again.
The President of the United States has this burden on him
and I would greatly encourage him in his foreign policy
approaching his last year and a half in office as he is
negotiating with Iran to not only avoid negotiating away his
leverage and his diplomats' leverage to bring your loved ones
home, but not to undercut and handicap whoever the next
President of the United States is because if this President
isn't getting the job done, the next one is going to be faced
with that burden and I want to do everything in my power
because this cause really shouldn't outlast this Presidency,
but there will be challenges that the next President will be
inheriting. So my personal opinion is these negotiations
shouldn't have started without that good faith concession being
from Iran.
I would like to also say thank you to Congressman Kildee,
Congressman Deutch for their leadership on this effort. As I
mentioned in a past hearing, actually I have more members,
family members in Congressman Deutch's district than my own
down in Florida. I am Jewish. The pilgrimage for New York
Jewish families to make the trip to Boca, that is going back to
the homeland for us. But we are all uniting for a very worthy
cause that hopefully we can come back here and have something
great to celebrate.
But the very real threat of negotiating away that leverage
for this President, our diplomats, or the next, is something
that we need to take very seriously. Because if Iran doesn't
have the incentive now when they are pursuing that $50 billion
signing bonus, or the $140-plus billion that is following right
behind it, as they are working to overthrow foreign
governments, sponsoring terrorism, pledging--chanting ``Death
to America,'' developing ICBMs, but there is no conversation
that can be complete without talking about what is not part of
the negotiation, without talking about United States citizens
being unjustly imprisoned by the Iranian Government and those
who love America. And that is a cause worth fighting for with
as much passion, conviction as we saw Mr. Meadows have just
now. Thank you for your efforts and thank you for all of your
supporters for helping advance the cause. I yield back the
balance of my time.
Chairman Royce. Mr. Donovan of New York.
Mr. Donovan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have two quick
questions. As you heard when I was first introduced about 2
hours ago, this is my very first hearing and I just had a baby.
I think about if someone had ever taken my baby, she is only 14
days old, what I would do to get her back. And I think about
your loved ones and your loved ones are America's children. We
should do everything in our power to get your loved ones back.
I just have two quick questions. I thought, Ms. Hekmati,
that you had told us that you are informing the State
Department of the process of your brother's captivity, that it
is not the other way around.
Do each of you have someone from the State Department who
is your liaison that you could call any time, day or night, to
find out the status of your loved one? Do each of you have
someone that you can do that with?
And my other question was the four of you, your courage to
come here, your tenacity to fight for the freedom of your loved
ones is unequivocal. Are there other families that you are
aware of that aren't here who are suffering the same fate as
you are? Are there other families that you are aware of who
have loved ones who are being held captive that you are aware
of?
Mrs. Abedini. Many Christians, unfortunately, are being
held captive or in prison in Iran. So I know a lot of families
that are imprisoned simply because they are Christians.
Mr. Donovan. American families?
Mrs. Abedini. Not American, but Christian.
Mr. Donovan. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield
back my time.
Chairman Royce. Any other members seeking recognition?
Well, this then would conclude our hearing.
Again, we want to thank the witnesses. We deeply appreciate
you coming to Washington to testify today and we will be in
contact with the family members as we continue our efforts. We
deeply appreciate your courage and we are very, very sorry for
what each of your families have been through.
So at this point though, we have to conclude this hearing
and we will now go to the markup on the resolution. If you
would like to stay for that markup, we appreciate also your
support for the resolution by Mr. Kildee which we are about to
bring before the committee. So we stand adjourned for the
hearing.
[Hearing adjourned.]
Chairman Royce. We meet pursuant to notice. I am going to
ask that the committee to come to order and members to return
here to the committee for the markup.
We meet pursuant to notice to mark up a single resolution.
The clerk will take her seat.
I now call up House Resolution 233 expressing the sense of
the House of Representatives that Iran should immediately
release the three United States citizens it holds, as well as
provide all known information on any U.S. citizens who have
disappeared within its orders. Without objection, the
resolution is considered read and open for amendment at any
point.
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Chairman Royce. All members may have 5 days to submit any
questions or extraneous material for the record.
After opening remarks from myself and the ranking member, I
will be glad to recognize any others seeking recognition and I
will yield myself right now such time as I may consume.
I again want to thank the family members who testified at
this morning's hearing. I also want to thank the author of this
measure, Congressman Kildee of Michigan, as well as those
members who continue to stress how important it is to this body
and to the American people that these Americans come home.
I am a proud co-sponsor of this resolution as are many
members on this committee and this resolution rightly points
out that if Iran truly wishes to engage constructively with the
rest of the world, step one would be releasing these Americans
and allowing them to be reunited with their loved ones.
Last month, the Senate passed a similar resolution of a
vote of 90 to 0 and I look forward to the House taking up this
measure with a similar show of unanimous support. And I now
recognize the ranking member, Mr. Engel, for his remarks.
Mr. Engel. Mr. Chairman, thank you for bringing forward
this resolution which, of course, I support. And thanks to the
Members of Congress and in particular, Mr. Kildee, who as I
said before has been relentless in this, talking to me all the
time about this, and won't rest until the hostages are all
free. So thank you, Mr. Kildee for all your hard work.
I want to also thank Mr. Deutch, Mr. Labrador, and Mr.
Huffman, along with Mr. Kildee, who represent the families of
the detained and missing Americans in Iran, for their
leadership in pressing this issue and ensuring that these
Americans are not forgotten, will never be forgotten until we
get them home.
I want to thank our witnesses for joining us earlier today.
These men and women come from different walks of life, but what
they share is the daily uncertainty about family members, all
American citizens, and we should stress that. This is about all
American citizens, missing or detained in Iran.
I wish we knew more about the conditions for these four
Americans, but in these cases, Iran, as usual, isn't playing by
the rules. I can't say that is a huge surprise.
Mr. Chairman, typically, if an American were detained in
Iran, our Swiss interlocutors would have access to them for
consular services. In the cases of these three Iranian-
Americans, Iran doesn't acknowledge their dual citizenship,
only their Iranian citizenship. This position runs roughshod
over long, established international law. Without consular
access, we can't judge the health and welfare of our own
people. The United States respects this access for Iranian
citizens held here. Reciprocal privileges are the least they
could provide.
Sadly, Robert Levinson's whereabouts are unknown as we
heard in the testimony. I simply don't believe that the
Iranians have been forthcoming about his status. If he is
indeed a hostage, he is now the longest-held hostage in
American history. Some argue that we should tie Iranian
cooperation on this matter to the outcome of the nuclear talks.
I feel that way very often. It is absolutely ludicrous that we
are negotiating with a government that is holding our citizens
to languish in Iranian jails.
We remain deeply concerned about Iran's imprisonment of
Americans and the lack of information about the whereabouts of
Robert Levinson. This is a bipartisan concern. It doesn't
matter where you come from in this country or what your
political affiliation is. We want to see all the hostages home
safely to their families.
I think it is clear from the emotional testimony we have
heard here today that when it comes to these missing and
detained Americans, Iran can do much more to help bring these
Americans home to their families.
So I am glad we are doing this hearing. Mr. Chairman, I
thank you for doing this hearing. This has been a great, once
again, bipartisan collaboration on the part of the Foreign
Affairs Committee.
And again, I want to thank our colleagues, particularly Mr.
Kildee, for coming here and working with us in partnership and
we are not going to stop until we get these people home.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Engel. Do any other
committee members seek recognition to speak on this measure?
Are there any amendments? Hearing no further questions from
members, the Chair now moves that the committee agree that
House Resolution 233, all those in favor say aye.
[Ayes.]
All opposed no. In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have
it and the resolution is agreed to and without objection the
measure is ordered favorably reported and the Chair is
authorized to seek consideration under suspension of the rules.
Thank you, members, and we now stand adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:09 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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