My father, Jamshid (Jimmy) Sharmahd, has been left behind in Iran by the Biden administration, despite the recent agreement between Tehran and Washington to release five Iranian-American hostages. While my father is a US national and has lived in America for the past 20 years, he has not been selected to come home. The State Department claims that he will remain in an Iranian prison because he is a German citizen, even though he is also a US national. This reasoning is flawed, as the Levinson Act mandates that he be included in the released hostages as a permanent resident of the US. It is crucial that the White House makes every effort to bring him home, especially since he is the only hostage facing imminent execution.
My father moved to the United States two decades ago and established a successful life for himself and his family. As a resident of California, he worked as a software engineer, paid taxes, and actively advocated for the freedom of the Iranian people. His advocacy led to the development of an online platform exposing the regime’s crimes and human rights abuses, making him a target for death threats. In 2009, agents of the regime even attempted to hire a hitman to assassinate him. In 2020, he was kidnapped while transiting through Dubai and taken to Iran, where he has been held in solitary confinement for over 1,000 days. Amnesty International reports that he has been repeatedly tortured and denied his rights. In a sham trial, he was convicted of “corruption on Earth” without due process or proper legal representation and sentenced to death by hanging.
The oppressive regime in Iran’s lack of humanity and justice is not surprising, but the response from the US government is disheartening. While the Biden administration is paying a ransom of $16 billion for the release of the hostages, they are neglecting their responsibility to bring my father home. Neither President Biden nor Secretary of State Antony Blinken has publicly acknowledged his situation or shown compassion to our family. The White House claims that they are not responsible for him because he is not a US citizen, but this argument is morally and legally incorrect. According to the Levinson Act, as a permanent US resident, my father is considered a US national and should be protected by the US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. It is the duty of both the US and German governments to work together to secure his release.
My father could have become a US citizen if he hadn’t been kidnapped and imprisoned. Every member of our family, spanning four generations, has become a US citizen. It is deeply concerning that the Biden administration seems to believe that my father is not “American enough” to be saved from terror, torture, and execution. My father has always believed in the principles of freedom and justice that America stands for, but he has been abandoned by his own government. Despite his deteriorating health and advanced Parkinson’s Disease, he remains hopeful that America will save his life.
I recently had the opportunity to speak to my father on the phone for the first time in two years of wrongful detention. He expressed his unwavering hope in America and emphasized that only the American government can save his life. As his family, we are rallying for his release and ensuring that he is not forgotten. However, it appears that the Biden administration is not offering any help. It breaks my heart to think that my father may never be reunited with his family, meet his newborn granddaughter, or see his elderly mother again. President Biden and Secretary Blinken, once an innocent life is taken, there are no second chances. I implore you to save my father from the hostage-takers and bring him back to safety.
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