A Tehran-jailed Iranian immigrant to the United States and his son, who is camping outside the White House, have both initiated hunger strikes in an effort to secure the elder’s release after he was omitted from a deal aimed at freeing US citizens.
Shahab Dalili, a US permanent resident without citizenship, was imprisoned in 2016 after returning to Iran for his father’s funeral. He received a 10-year prison sentence on charges related to espionage, vehemently denying his involvement.
Darian Dalili, Shahab’s 28-year-old son living in Massachusetts, learned of the deal announced last Thursday that was intended to free five US citizens. Heartbroken by the absence of his father’s name, he immediately drove to Washington and set up camp in Lafayette Park near the White House.
Darian, a US citizen himself, conveyed his sense of frustration: “It feels as if my plight and my family’s plight apparently don’t matter. I don’t know how else to put it.” He mentioned that his father would have been a US citizen too “if he hadn’t been taken hostage.”
After a call from Evin prison in Tehran, Shahab initially tried to dissuade his son from the hunger strike but ultimately decided to join him.
Since Saturday, Darian has consumed only water, hoping that this act will prompt a response or action from the American government. He expressed his desperation, saying, “It’s just a move of desperation.”
On the other hand, Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated on Thursday that there were no more US citizens imprisoned in Iran following the announced deal. The five detainees were moved to house arrest as a preliminary step.
Abram Paley, acting special envoy on Iran at the State Department, has engaged with the Dalili family, though Shahab Dalili has not been officially designated as wrongfully detained. According to State Department spokesman Vedant Patel, an ongoing process involves the review and assessment of individual cases for indicators of wrongful detention.
Despite appeals, the Biden administration has not included Jamshid Sharmahd, a German citizen residing in California, in the deal. Sharmahd has been sentenced to death, and while Patel criticized Tehran’s treatment of him, he noted that Germany is responsible for addressing his case.
The deal for the five American citizens entails the release of $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue frozen by South Korea due to US sanctions. These funds will be sent to a Qatar-based account for humanitarian purposes.
Post Your Comments