DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An Iranian-American dual national held in Tehran was granted a brief leave from prison over health concerns, his Washington-based lawyer said Sunday.
Lawyer Jared Genser said in a statement that his 81-year-old client would be out of Tehran’s Evin prison on a four-day leave. Baquer Namazi has undergone surgery already while imprisoned to have a pacemaker installed.
Genser says his client’s leave should be made permanent given his poor health.
Iranian state media did not immediately report Namazi being granted leave.
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said: “We welcome the release of Baquer Namazi given his deteriorating health but we note that his release is only temporary. We call for the immediate and full release of the Namazi family, including his son Siamek, as well as other Americans unjustly held by the Iranian government”
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Baquer and Siamak Namazi are among several dual nationals held by Iran. Both Namazis are serving 10-year prison sentences after closed-door trials.
Analysts believe Iran is holding them as bargaining chips for future negotiations with the West.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
