Iran: EI welcomes decision to dismiss death sentence of Amir Mirza Hekmati
On 5 March, Iran’s Supreme Court repealed the death sentence for former U.S. Marine, Amir Mirza Hekmati.
EI had written to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to protest against the execution sentence issued in a closed-door trial in January on suspicions of spying.
Amir Hekmati, 28, is the first American to receive a death penalty in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution there. He was born in Arizona. His parents, of Iranian origin,are school teachers in Michigan and members of EI’s affiliate, the National Education Association (NEA).
Hekmati was arrested in August 2011, while visiting his ailing Iranian grandmother. He has been held in detention without access to his family and consular assistance, in violation of international law. Furthermore, he was made to participate in a televised "confession" before his trial, which prejudiced even further his right to a fair trial.
“The supreme court nullified the execution sentence against Amir Mirza Hekmati and sent it to an affiliate court,” said an Iranian judiciary spokesman.
