Jailed Iranian American initiates hunger strike, appeals to Biden
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An Iranian-American, Siamak Namazi, has started a seven-day hunger strike and appealed to President Joe Biden for help in being released from prison in Iran.
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Namazi was arrested in October 2015 on allegations of plotting to subvert the state, which he rejects.
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Namazi's father, Baquer, was also arrested on espionage-related charges and was released two years later but banned from travelling.
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Namazi's hunger strike coincides with the seventh anniversary of the release of five US citizens in a prisoner exchange with Iran, which was in coordination with the implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
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Namazi has asked Biden to spend one minute a day for the next week thinking about the suffering of US citizens detained in Iran, including environmentalist Morad Tahbaz and businessman Emad Shargi.
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Namazi claims that the Obama administration had promised his family that he would be safely home within weeks but he has been detained in Iran for seven years.
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The White House National Security Council has stated that they are working to bring Namazi home along with other US citizens who are wrongfully detained in Iran.
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Iran's government generally refuses to acknowledge dual citizenship.
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Iran recently announced the death of Alireza Akbari, a British citizen convicted of espionage for his adoptive nation.