[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14352]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           FREE AMIR HEKMATI

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank other Members of this body. 
In less than a week, 72 Members, Members representing the House and the 
Senate, have joined me in the campaign to free Amir Hekmati from prison 
in Iran, joined the Free Amir Campaign.
  This has been a strong bipartisan effort. We know there's not a lot 
that's happening in this House right now that happens on a bipartisan 
basis, but this is something that Members of the House on both sides of 
the aisle, and all Americans, can join together to do, take a tangible 
step to help free my constituent who is being held in an Iranian prison 
on false charges.
  Every day, Americans are speaking up because it's something that they 
can actually do to make a difference through the social media, through 
Twitter. Thousands of tweets calling on Iranian President Hassan 
Rouhani to release Amir Hekmati have gone out while President Rouhani 
is in New York at the U.N. General Assembly; and we know that the 
Iranian Government monitors social media, participates in social media, 
so we know that the message is getting through to them. It's a powerful 
tool, and one that all Americans can engage in to help with this 
important cause.
  I was sent here to fight for my constituents, to work on their 
behalf, and that includes Amir Hekmati.
  Amir is a former U.S. Marine who served his country well, and went to 
visit his family in Iran. He is of Iranian descent, born and raised 
here in the U.S., a constituent of mine in Flint, Michigan. He went to 
visit his family and was arrested, tried and convicted on false charges 
as a result.
  So what we're now seeking to do is to encourage the Iranian 
Government, as it makes overtures to the global community, to take a 
tangible step in coming toward the international community by doing 
what's right and releasing Amir.
  We've had tangible support here from Congress; 112 of my colleagues 
signed a letter to Secretary Kerry asking him to elevate this case, and 
he's responded and spoke out, calling upon the Iranian Government to 
release my constituent, Amir Hekmati.
  Ambassador Samantha Power, our representative to the United Nations, 
tweeted shortly after I sent her a letter, sent out a tweet of her own 
calling on the Iranian Government to release Amir and the other 
Americans being unjustly held.
  It's time for Iran to do more than just talk. If Iran and President 
Rouhani is looking for a tangible demonstration that he is serious 
about re-engaging the global community, re-emerging as a nation among 
nations, then he can do what's right and release my constituent.
  The other day he said he wanted to bring peace and friendship from 
the Iranian people to the Americans. The American people have responded 
by asking for that important critical concrete step in the name of 
friendship, in the name of peace, and that is to release Amir.
  It would demonstrate to all Americans and to the global community 
that this is not just a matter of words, but it's a matter of action. 
And the only way, I think, that we, as a global society and, certainly, 
as the American Government, can accept Iran's request to rejoin the 
international community is if it does something more than just say they 
want to join, but actually takes an important step.
  I will continue this fight. We will not stop. The family of Amir 
Hekmati will not stop. Democrats and Republicans in the House and in 
the Senate will not stop. The American Government will not stop until 
Amir is free.
  I take this as my personal challenge, as a personal responsibility as 
the Member of Congress representing the family. But I think we all, as 
Americans, can join this fight to free Amir Hekmati and to bring him 
home to his family.
  Ladies and gentlemen, that's all I ask is that Members of the House 
and the public join this cause and help free Amir.

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