Iran’s detainment of Jamshid Sharmahd disregarded by the Biden administration
My dad, Jamshid (Jimmy) Sharmahd, a US national who has lived in America for the last 20 years, has been left behind as a hostage in Iran by the Biden administration. Despite the recent release of five Iranian-American hostages in exchange for $16 billion of frozen assets, my father has not been selected to come home. The State Department has stated that my father, who is also a German citizen, will remain in an Iranian prison due to his citizenship, but this reasoning does not make sense given his status as a US national.
As a permanent resident of the US, my father should be included as one of the released hostages according to the Levinson Act. It is crucial that the White House makes every effort to bring him home, especially considering he is the only hostage facing an imminent execution. My father has contributed to society in the United States as a software engineer and has tirelessly advocated for the freedom of the Iranian people. His online platform documenting the regime’s crimes and human rights abuses made him a target of death threats and assassination attempts.
Since his kidnapping in 2020, my father has been held in solitary confinement for over 1,000 days in an unknown prison where he has been subjected to torture and denied his basic rights. He was unfairly charged and condemned to death in a sham trial without due process. The lack of humanity and justice from the Iranian regime is expected, but the lack of support and compassion from the Biden administration is truly disheartening.
Despite the administration paying $16 billion in ransom for the release of the hostages, the White House is abandoning its responsibility for my father. Neither President Biden nor Secretary of State Antony Blinken has publicly acknowledged his name or shown any concern for the family he left behind in America. The claim that my father is not a US citizen is both morally wrong and legally incorrect. As a permanent US resident, he is entitled to protection under the Levinson Act.
The US and German governments should work together to secure his release, rather than denying responsibility and playing games with his life. Every member of our family has become a US citizen, including four generations of Sharmahds. It is distressing to witness the Biden administration’s disregard for my father’s life, suggesting that he is not American enough to be saved from terror, torture, and likely execution.
My father, despite his deteriorating health, remains hopeful that the United States will intervene and save his life. He believes in the values of freedom and justice that America stands for, but he has been let down by his own government. It is heartbreaking to think that my dad may never be reunited with his family or have the opportunity to meet his newborn granddaughter, who is now a fourth-generation US citizen.
I plead with President Biden and Secretary Blinken to take action and save my dad from the hostage-takers. There are no second chances once an innocent life is lost. Will you leave my father behind to die in Iran, or will you fulfill your duty and bring him home?
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