Tuesday, October 13th Marks the Fifth Anniversary of the Imprisonment of Baquer and Siamak Namazi Please sign the petition

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Dear fellow member of XUNICEF,


Most of us are familiar with the tragic case of our colleague, Baquer Namazi, and his son, Siamak. For those who are not familiar with the story, here is a brief summary:


Both Baquer and Siamak are dual nationals of Iran and the US. After his retirement from UNICEF (as Representative in Egypt), Baquer returned to his country and worked with Iranian NGOs. His younger son, Siamak, later joined his parents in Tehran. Their older son, Babak, lives and works in the UAE.


Both father and son were arrested five years ago, tried and given 10 year sentences for what the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined were unjust grounds. After careful review the Working Group called for their immediate release. So too the Secretary General and the UNICEF Executive Director have repeatedly called for their release. However, nothing has happened. The reason seems clearly to be that Iran and the US are locked in a long-term series of conflicts, and both sides are holding prisoners for leverage in future negotiations.


Baquer is now 84 and has serious coronary problems. While in Evin Prison, he suffered several heart attacks. The authorities eventually agreed to his temporary release for medical treatment, but later returned him to prison. There he suffered another heart attack and was again released for treatment. Since then he has remained at home under house arrest and is not permitted to travel.


Siamak, however, has continued to be held in Evin Prison since his arrest. This is despite the release earlier this year of many other prisoners due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can imagine the pain felt by Baquer and his wife, Effie as this saga continues.


Next Tuesday, October 13th, will mark the fifth year of imprisonment for Siamak and the imprisonment cum house arrest of Baquer.


Baquer's elder son, Babak, has organized a petition to mark this grim anniversary and call again for the release of his father and brother. Please consider signing the petition . The Namazi family is part of our XUNICEF family. TIt is important that we stand with our colleague and our colleague's family in this extraordinarily difficult time. They are counting on us adding as many names as possible to this list.


Whether or not you sign the petition, Babak has asked me to convey the deep gratitude the Namazi family feels for the support and prayers XUNICEF members have provided throughout these long five years.


One more thing - given the security concerns, Babak asks that we do not copy this or any related correspondence to his father's email address.


Many thanks.


Click here to add your name to the petition and call for the release of the Namazis.


Note: This form returns automatically when you click 'Submit'. There is no need to send it back by email.