The Los Angeles Times has reported that a 46-year-old Iranian American man from San Diego has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in Iran for “collaborating with a hostile government”.
Speaking from Ninava jail in Gorgan, northeast Iran, Gholamrez Reza Shahini said he was visiting family members in Iran when he was arrested on 11th July. During his trial last week he was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.
The week before this, two Iranian American businessman received ten year prison sentences on similar charges, adding to the growing number of dual nationals being arrested.
The number is increasing since the nuclear deal was signed last year. Before this, the U.S. had ceased diplomatic relations with Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
However, it appears that President Hassan Rouhani’s outreach to the West is being undermined by tyrants wanting to “use prisoners as bargaining chips in future negotiations”.
Shahini said that prosecutors presented posts from social media as evidence during the trial. He said he does not know why he was arrested. He was due to start graduate school in homeland security studies this autumn.
He was put into solitary confinement for two weeks after his arrest. He was then put into a ward containing several hundred prisoners who had been arrested on murder or drug charges. They had to share eight bathrooms and a handful of showers.
Although he has seen hospital doctors, his asthma and dental issues remain unaddressed.
He said: “I’m a U.S. citizen. Let’s put pressure on the Iranian government so that it will not happen to another citizen. Maybe I am Iranian, but I am also American.”
He added that he would go on a hunger strike as soon as Iranian media outlets announce his sentencing. “I won’t stop unless I am free or die.”
His family say that Shahini has converted to Christianity – something which could add to his troubles with the Islamic Republic.
His sister, Fatemeh Shahini, called the news “a nightmare.” His girlfriend, Sevil Suleymani, said she and the rest of the family were shocked by the swiftness of the proceedings. She said: “After hearing his sentence, he is in a bad situation. He is really scared. It is shocking for all us. Nobody expected this.”
The LA Times points out that Iran’s official media has not reported Shahini’s sentencing and the State Department has not yet commented.