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American prisoner freed from Iran
FOX 5 NY’s Richard Giacovas spoke with one of their family members about this long-awaited reunion.
It has been a traumatizing 8 years for Hushang Namazi's nephew, Siamak, who landed this morning with four other American prisoners at a US military base in Virginia.
51-year-old Siamak Namazi was captured and imprisoned in Iran after he was arrested in 2015 on espionage charges. He was convicted in a trial that lasted just a few hours. Siamak was the longest-serving prisoner out of the 5 Americans.
The group of Americans who were freed is part of a prisoner exchange agreement with the Biden administration allowing Tehran to access $6 billion in oil revenues that have been frozen under U.S. sanctions.
Siamak’s father was also held captive for two years. There has been so much false hope for Siamak’s uncle and the rest of his family. Every time they thought Siamak would come home, he never did. Until now.
Siamak graduated high school in White Plains, not far from where his uncle lives in Yonkers. His uncle hasn’t spoken to his nephew yet but was told that he’s at a medical facility in Washington D.C. where he will be evaluated this week.
Hushang says his nephew has endured mental and physical torture, and has lost nearly a decade of his life, but has still managed to stay calm and make sure his family never gave up that hope that he would one day be freed.