HRANA – Kamran Hekmati, a 70-year-old Iranian-American dual national and Jewish citizen, is currently serving his prison sentence in Evin Prison. He had been sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to four years in prison for traveling to Israel, a sentence that was later reduced to one year.
According to The New York Times, Mr. Hekmati was sentenced in late August by the Tehran Revolutionary Court to four years in prison over a trip he made to Israel 13 years ago. After a reduction in the penalty for travel to Israel from four years to two, the final sentence was ultimately reduced to one year of imprisonment.
His family told the newspaper that Mr. Hekmati’s lawyer has filed an appeal, but no court date has yet been scheduled. They expressed hope that he would be released on humanitarian grounds, noting that he was not involved in political activities, that his visit to Israel was personal, and that he is currently battling aggressive bladder cancer.
In August this year, HRANA reported that four Jewish citizens were arrested in Tehran and Shiraz by the Ministry of Intelligence following security tensions related to the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict. HRANA identified them as Navid Reuven, Shahab Yousef, Kamran Hekmati, and Michael (last name unknown). HRANA further reported that Hekmati, approximately 70 years old, was arrested by security forces upon entering Iran to visit relatives due to his previous trip to Israel, and was transferred to one of The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facilities in Tehran.
Despite official government claims of protecting the rights of religious minorities, including Jews, human rights experts have warned that the recent security pressures on this minority community may constitute religious and ethnic discrimination, violating Iran’s international human rights obligations.
