TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - An Iranian court has convicted an American man of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death, state radio reported Monday, in a case adding to the accelerating tension between the United States and Iran.
Iran charges that as a former U.S. Marine, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati received special training and served at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission. The radio report did not say when the verdict was issued. Under Iranian law, he has 20 days to appeal.
The 28-year-old former military translator was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. His family is of Iranian origin. His father, a professor at a community college in Flint, Michigan, has said his son is not a CIA spy and was visiting his grandmothers in Iran when he was arrested.
His trial took place as the U.S. announced new, tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, which Washington believes Tehran is using to develop a possible atomic weapons capability.
Iran, which says it only seeks nuclear reactors for energy and research, has sharply increased its threats and military posturing against stronger pressures, including the U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's Central Bank in attempts to complicate its ability to sell oil.
The U.S. State Department has demanded Hekmati's release.
The court convicted him of working with a hostile country, belonging to the CIA and trying to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism, Monday's report said.
In its ruling, a branch of Tehran Revolutionary Court described Hekmati as a mohareb, an Islamic term that means a fighter against God, and a mofsed, or one who spreads corruption on earth. Both terms appear frequently in Iranian court rulings.
In a closed court hearing in late December, the prosecution asked for the death penalty for Hekmati.
The U.S. government has called on Iranian authorities to grant Swiss diplomats access to him in prison. The Swiss government represents U.S. interests in Iran because the two countries don't have diplomatic relations.
Hekmati is a dual U.S.-Iranian national. Iran considers him an Iranian since the country's law does not recognize dual citizenship.
His father, Ali Hekmati, and family friend Muna Jondy, an attorney who has been speaking on behalf of the family, did not immediately respond to emails and phone messages left at their offices before business hours Monday morning.
Similar cases against Americans accused of spying have heightened tensions throughout the years-long standoff over Iran's nuclear program.
Iran arrested three Americans in July 2009 along the border with Iraq and accused them of espionage, though the Americans said they were just hiking in the scenic and relatively peaceful Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
One of them was released after a year in prison, and the other two were freed in September in deals involving bail payments that were brokered by the Gulf sultanate of Oman, which has good relations with Iran and the U.S.
On Dec. 18, Iran's state TV broadcast video of Hekmati delivering a purported confession in which he said he was part of a plot to infiltrate Iran's Intelligence Ministry.
In a statement released the same day, the Intelligence Ministry said its agents identified Hekmati before his arrival in Iran, at Bagram Air Field in neighboring Afghanistan. Bagram is the main base for American and other international forces outside Kabul, the Afghan capital.
It is not clear exactly when he was arrested. Iranian news reports have said he was detained in late August or early September.
Hekmati's father, Ali, said in a December interview with The Associated Press, that his son was a former Arabic translator in the U.S. Marines who entered Iran about four months earlier to visit his grandmothers.
At the time, he was working in Qatar as a contractor for a company "that served the Marines," his father said, without providing more specific details.
30 comments:
The story is very sad and yet it is story that has happen so many times. Amir Hekmati is a man who is of Iranian orgin and was descriminated against by the Iranian country. Hekmati was a man who was trained to protect our country and just so happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Hekmati's father however is coming to his son's defense, yet does not seem to do more than just talking in interviews. Hekmati is having to fight for himself because he is in a different country and is away from his family.
The fact the Iranian court is given as little information as possible proves Hekmati is being unjustly accused and given the death sentence for a crime that has not been proven.
Whether or not Amir Mirzaei Hekmati is a U.S. spy or not is difficult to say. However, if he is an operative for the CIA, then his case was rightly brought to court in Iran. If he is found guilty, he should be subject to prosecution by the Iranian government. It is the same as if someone was thought to be an Iranian spy in the United States. We would desire to have him tried and sentenced by the U.S. court system. Personally I think that the death penalty is too harsh of a punishment for a crime other than murder, but that may be how the Iranian government feels he should be dealt with. The jurisdiction does fall to the Iranian government, however corrupt it may be.
Iran is accusing Amir of working for the CIA. I would love to know what evidence they used in court to convict him of working for the CIA and if the confession he gave was something he was forced to give. If he is a CIA spy, then the CIA will not bail him out because they will cut all ties and claim not to know him, and if he is not a CIA spy, there is no real way he can prove he is not a spy. The hikers who were captured were released, but they were not sentenced to death. I think this will make the tension between the U.S. and Iran even tighter than it already is.
As the article stated, this has happened many times. Whether or not Hekmati is actually working for the CIA is impossible to tell, but in my opinion, the death penalty is way too harsh of a sentence for this. The article provides no actual proof on which the court decision that he is working for the CIA can be based off of. As Katie stated already however, it will be immensely difficult to prove that he is not a spy as well; Even if he states, which he has, that he is not a spy, I'm sure many arguments will be made of "Oh, well that's exactly something a spy would say". The fact that they allegedly caught 3 other spies, who turned out to be hikers, shows how "quick to judge" the Irani country is towards Americans at the moment.
I'm sure the sentence has already, and will continue to anger many American citizins, which obviously will have no positive outlook on the relationship between the US and Iran. It's unfortunate that there's not much that can be done for this man's sake.
I think that Iran's extremely high suspicions of any Americans around their country should raise some suspicions of our own. Why are they so ready to capture and kill any American who walks on their soil? Granted, the US and Iran are not on the best of terms, but that gives them no right to sentence a possibly innocent man to death. To me, Amir Hekmati's case is subtle proof of suspicious actions happening inside of the Iranian government.
I was confused when I read this article for the first time. On the surface this appears to be about Amir Hekmati, but intersperses references to the Iranian nuclear conflict. However, it soon becomes apparent that this poor man, like the others mentioned in this article, is a victim of the tense relations between the United States and Iran, and his story must therefore be framed in the larger conflict between our two countries. The ruthlessness of the Iranian sentence, and the harshness of Hekmati's status of "fighter against God" and “one who spreads corruption on earth”, show that the court in which he is being tried is neither just nor unbiased. The United States should make every effort to retrieve this man and work toward repairing relations with Iran, so that maybe we could communicate without the aid of Swiss diplomats.
We really need to look at both sides of this. From the American point of view, Hekmati being a spy is a little out there. There’s a NYTimes article that states that “people knowledgeable about [the CIA’s] recruiting practices say it is highly unlikely that the agency would have engaged someone with such a visible military résumé.” We know that he was studying linguistics, we know how long he was in the service, where he went to high school, etc. That’s too much information for a spy to have released about his or herself. The same article also said he had his former military identification with him when he was arrested. His being a spy really doesn’t add up.
Conversely, the Iranian side does have some reason as to why they’re so suspicious (other than their anti-Americanism). This same NYTimes article added that ‘“ In 2006 [Hekmati] started his own company, Lucid Linguistics, doing document translation that specialized in Arabic, Persian and “military-related matters,” according its Web site…Possibly more intriguing to the Iranians was work done a few years later by Mr. Hekmati while working for Kuma Games, which specializes in recreating military confrontations that enable players to participate in games based on real events.”’ The Kuma game is known in Iran because there was one part of the game known as “Assault on Iran,” which was the American-version of the U.S. attacking a base in Iran. Even though Hekmati wasn’t a part of that, the Iranian government is trying to “justify” their actions by saying he was part of it by association.
Like many people have already said, Hektmati was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The death penalty is obviously harsh, but this is the death penalty in Iran, which is far too common. (The only two choices that are presented for treasonous acts are life imprisonment and death...) Considering Hekmati is a first generation American and Iran doesn't recognize a dual-citizenship, this gives the Iranian government a reason to arrest him because he's technically a full citizen of Iran. Sadly, he’s another victim of a government which is not sympathetic towards Western values, and probably won't be quite a long time.
This is kind of long. Sorry. :D
It looks like Amir was just in the wrong place at the wrong time because the Iranian government is already highly suspicious of any foreign involvement what with the assassination of many Iranian nuclear scientist in the past two years.Whether or not he is a CIA agent it looks like the Iranian government just want to get under the skin of the American people just like they did with those American hikers but this time they might not let him go because he has actually worked for the American Armed forces. The Iranian government just wants some way to punish the American people because they truely believe that the American government had something to do with the assassinations that they are willing to convict just because hes American even going so far as calling him a traitor to his ancestors homeland with names such as mohareb and mofsed.
There is absolutely no way to know what the truth is and arguing over this issue is completely pointless because there absolutely is no way to know which side is right or wrong. IF you are an American, please stay away from iran because there is no say what will happen. Just cause his family is from iran doesn't mean iran is going to consider any kind of special privileges for him.
This article is just further proof of the tense relationship that Iran has with the US. Just because Amir Hekmati is Iranian and was brought up in the US does not make him a spy. But then again whos to say he isn't. There is not enough evidence to proove that Hekmati is or isn't a part of the CIA. With that said I believe that having Hekmati sentenced to death is too harsh of a punishment for something that has such little evidence.
I could not agree more that this was just a matter of him being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Really,the death penalty? And at that there's not even enough evidence to prove that he was in any way shape or form of being a spy. I mean there is always two sides to every story but just to quickly accuse him and then boom death penalty? Thats just wrong! But the U.S and Iran don't see eye to eye and really I guess by this article you now get a better take on that. And just knowing that this isn't the first time this has happened really does speak volumes about the Iranians.
A story like this has become fairly common due to the tension between the United States and Iran. Amir Hekmati is techinically innocent until proven guilt but since he is in a country that is not his usually domain, the Iranian courts have an advantage and can automatically assume him guilty with little proof. Hekmati also does not have any physical contact with family or friends that can represent him in court. Because of this tension there may be far more problems but on a larger scale.
I think that the Iranian government is just looking for ways to make trouble for the U.S. by any means possible. This is not the first time they have accused americans of being spys. Although i dont think the eighth paragraph was a nescesity to this story, it says something about how the court is run. Not very professional and is intertwined closely with religion. This has very little to do with espionage and more to do with the growing nuclear tensions btween Iran and the U.S. They are hidin behind these trials. Although his father i not being very helpful with his information.
I think the Iranian governmet is just loking for reasons to be angry with the U.S. This is not the first time they have arrested what seem to be innocent americans simply travelling through or as in Hekmati's case visting family. although not being a necessity to the story paragraph eight shows how unprofessional and biased the court system is there. And how very closely it is intertwined with religion. His father is helping but not very much, he doesnt really answer every question fully.I think that all of these trails are covering up a bigger picture.
This is something that obviously happens fairly often. There is no way to know whether Amir Mirzaei Hekmati actually works for the C.I.A. It seems that there is no substantial evidence for this charge and in addition it seems that he has been prosecuted as a result of tense relations between the U.S. and Iran. That being said, he IS a citizen of Iran, meaning that their government does have the right to arrest him. If Americans thought there was an Iranian spy in the U.S he would be dealt with in a similar way. I agree with what others have said: Hekmati is a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If he is found guilty then this will only serve to further worsen relations between the U.S. and Iran.
When you look at all the facts in this article you can't really say if Amir Hekmati is working for the CIA or if he's just a U.S. citizen that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's an outrage for the Iranian government to give this man the death penalty with no actuall proof that he is working for the CIA. I think its just Iran trying to make a statement to the U.S. due to the U.S.beleiving that Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons, and this is Iran's retaliation, by giving the death penalty to a U.S. citizen. Amir needs to appeal this and get into contact with U.S. officials to give proof to the Iranian government. Plain and simple it is unlawful to give this man death for something that cannot be prooved.
It’s unfortunate that there’s not much that can be done for Hermati. Iran is accusing him of working for the CIA. Hekmati is being unjustly accused and given the death sentence for a crime that has not been proven. Iran has no real proof that he is a CIA spy. They have discriminated against Hermati. Whether or not he is a CIA agent it looks like the Iranian government just wants to get under the skin of the American people, just like they did with those American hikers. However this time they might not let Hermati go because he has actually worked for the American Armed forces. Therefore the United States should make every effort to retrieve this man and work toward repairing relations with Iran.
Well, given Iran's hate of the western world and its democracy, of course their government wants to imprison any american citizen that they can justly convict. However, the Department of Homeland Security needs to do more than "ask for his release," because anyone with a brain knows they'll say no.
It is unfair to convict Hekmati of working for the CIA. It is especially unfair that they are giving him a death sentence for a crime he might have not committed. They have no evident proving that Hekmati is a spy. Yes he was a former U.S marine and yes he did receive special training and served in the U.S military bases, but for all we know he was just visiting his grandmothers in Iran. In my opinion Iran is hiding something from the U.S. I mean, there has to be a reason for them to be accusing Americans of being spies.
It is unfair to convict Hekmati of working for the CIA. It is especially unfair that they are giving him a death sentence for a crime he might have not committed. They have no evident proving that Hekmati is a spy. Yes he was a former U.S marine and yes he did receive special training and served in the U.S military bases, but for all we know he was just visiting his grandmothers in Iran. In my opinion Iran is hiding something from the U.S. I mean, there has to be a reason for them to be accusing Americans of being spies.
I think Amir Hekmati was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It shows how suspicious the Iran government is about Americans being in their country. But he shouldn't get the death penalty just because they think he is working for the CIA. So now this is going to cause more tension between the United States and Iran which is not good.
Soooo, Mr. Amir Hekmati served for the U.S. as a marine, but is a dual U.S.-Iranian national. it seems to be as if his country thought he was betraying them because he has decided to be apart of the U.S. force.
He was born in the U.S. in Arizona, so therefore he is a citizen of the United States, and was being descriminated against by the Iranians. In my opinion, Mr. Hekmati is not a U.S. spy for the CIA, he is simply defending his country, the U.S. The Iranians have no proof what-so-ever to prove Amir was working for the CIA. i think that the Iranians are just mad and Jealous beacause America is the BOMB, and there country is not as great.
It's entirely possible that Hekmati is a spy. If that's the case, then the Iranian government can do whatever it wants with him, really. And they will. Honestly though, I think the guy is innocent. The Iranian government is not exactly a credible institution. It seems to have a habit of detaining EVERY SINGLE American citizen that walks its soil. This combined with the lack of evidence makes for a pretty baseless accusation. They're just out for America, it seems. And of course, we're dealing with people who still live in the stone age. Literally. They still stone people to death for petty crimes such as adultery. Women have little to no rights. Several opponents of prominent political leaders are accused of sorcery. Don't believe me? Here's a link. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/05/ahmadinejad-allies-charged-with-sorcery
So, yeah, it's a little hard to take these people seriously. I feel sorry for the guy being labeled as a "fighter against God". He's not getting euthanized.
I think that since Hekmati was in Iran at the time of his detainment, the United States has it's hands tied. Iran doesn't acknowledge United States citizenship, and Hekmati known that upon entering the country, he was subject to Iranian law. Considering Hekmati's past, the Iranian government had reasonable cause to assume that the U.S would send an operative into Iran to learn more of the country. He entered at his own consent, so he should be subject to Iranian law just as an Iranian citizen would.
Only one organization knows whether or not Hekmati was spying or not. The Iranians have no substantial evidence to state that Hekmati was spying. Sentencing him to the death penalty is definitely harsh because they don't have any proof of the former Marine's activities. He was accused of accusing the Iran government as terrorist, when all he was most likely doing was his job which is reporting back to the U.S. actions of the government. It never is an established fact whether he committed a crime or not. He shouldn't be sentenced to death over accusations.
I think the Iranian Government has gone way too far and way too fast with convicting Amir Mirzaei Hekmati of being a CIA spy. Iran doesn't provide any clear evidence whatsoever of their conviction. And to top it all off, they sentence Amir Mirzaei Hekmati with the dealth penalty, which in my opinion (and probably everyone else's opinion) is way to harsh of a punishment. On another note, why Iran so quick to accuse him along with other Americans in the past is really sketchy, and puts suspicion on the Iranian government on if they're trying to hide anything.
I think Iran is making a big mistake. There is no proof that tell us that Amir Hekmati is a spy or a person that is working against Iran. The article states that he is a former military translator, but the Iran government does not believe it. I know Iran government is only doing this just because they want to protect them self from danger. I think the government should not kill Amir, just because he is working for U.S.. Unless Amir did something really bad over there. I wonder what evidence they have, just to take this persons life away. I think the Iran government should send Amir back to the U.S.. I also think the Iran government should speak to the U.S. government and tell the U.S. that they should not send any U.S. citizens to Iran. The Iran government is still going to do what they want to do because they have the power over Amir. But it is going to make a negative relationship between the U.S. and Iran.
I think Iran is making a big mistake. There is no proof that tell us that Amir Hekmati is a spy or a person that is working against Iran. The article states that he is a former military translator, but the Iran government does not believe it. I know Iran government is only doing this just because they want to protect them self from danger. I think the government should not kill Amir, just because he is working for U.S.. Unless Amir did something really bad over there. I wonder what evidence they have, just to take this persons life away. I think the Iran government should send Amir back to the U.S.. I also think the Iran government should speak to the U.S. government and tell the U.S. that they should not send any U.S. citizens to Iran. The Iran government is still going to do what they want to do because they have the power over Amir. But it is going to make a negative relationship between the U.S. and Iran.
The fact that the Iranian government does not recognize Hekmati's dual citizenship is ridiculous. This could almost be called a hate crime against Americans. If Hekmati is a CIA spy, then he should be tried before a jury, but given the death penalty? I think not. There isn't even substantial evidence that leads to him being an American spy. Iran should try and be the 'bigger man'and thoroughly investigate this instead of sending this man to death, especially after putting g other Americans to death who just turned out to be tourists. Just because Iran has been put under tighter restrictions over their nuclear weapon program, doesn't give them the right to unfairly put a man to death. This 'disavowed if discovered' is complete crap. Hekmati is an American citizen who has also served for his country. Hekmati has done more than earned the defense of his county.
Death, it is a harsh consequence, especially since this was all just a suspicion to begin with. This guy was wrongfully accused and was just with the wrong grandma at the wrong time. I believe some Iranians simply didn't like him because he was an Iranian accomplishing a lot of American accomplishments. Due to the fact that when they were in the court they were calling him mohareb, which has more of a meaning of being called a traitor. The other guys who were also suppose ably spies which were eventually let go leads me to believe that Hekmati willl not be sentenced to death quite easily without causing a huge commotion.
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