After four and a half years in an Iranian prison, Amir Hekmati has finally returned home to Flint, Michigan. After a higher court ordered a retrial, he was sentenced in 2014 to 10 years on a lesser charge.
Advertisement
The U.S. Marine was imprisoned in Iran in 2011 while visiting his grandmother.
Rep. Kildee, D-Mich., represents the district in which the Hekmati family lives and has been a longtime advocate for Hekmati’s release.
“I didn’t want to let my fellow Marines down and the reputation of the Marine Corps, so I tried my best to keep my head up and withstand all the pressures that were put upon me, some of which were very inhumane and unjust”, he explained.
Hekmati, who suffered abuse while in custody in Iran, said that “despite the difficulties…” The U.S. agreed to release seven Iranians in exchange for the release of the four.
In this image made from video, former U.S Marine Amir Hekmati, center, is flanked by MI congressman Dan Kildee, left, and Hekmati’s brother-in-law Ramy Kurdi as he speaks to the media in Landstuhl, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016.
Hekmati kept his comments brief, and said he would share more about his experiences later.
The release was part of whirlwind weekend of developments in Iran-U.S. relations that also saw the lifting of sanctions under the nuclear agreement reached previous year.
In a statement, Salmon said he “welcomed this excellent, if tragically delinquent, news of our Americans’ release” but was disappointed in the negotiations that led to their freedom.
The plane carrying Amir Hekmati arrived at Flint’s Bishop International Airport.
Another former prisoner in Iran, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, 35, was set to arrive in Atlanta and then fly to Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday to be reunited with members of his family over the next several days, his wife told Reuters. He and his family deny any wrongdoing, and say his imprisonment included physical and mental torture and long periods of solitary confinement in a tiny cell.
Jason Rezaian, freed from Iranian captivity, expressed his appreciation Wednesday for help with his release and an interest in privacy with his family.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that he was happy for the families of all those released, those who were released from Iran and those in America.
