The Shargi family in 2015. From left to right: Ariana, Bahareh, Emad, and Hannah.

Emad Shargi is an Iranian-American businessman. On April 23, 2018, during a trip to Iran, Shargi and his wife were taken into custody by Iranian authorities and held in Evin prison.[1][2] Emad Shargi was taken to a Tehran court on November 30, 2020, where he was informed that he had been convicted of espionage without a trial and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship, depriving prisoners like Shargi of consular assistance and diplomatic access.[3]

The families of the American nationals imprisoned in Iran called for the Biden administration to prioritize their return in negotiations.[4][5] His daughters, Hannah Shargi and Ariana Shargi, appeared in multiple interviews concerning their father's imprisonment and pleading for the U.S. government to take action, as well as his sister, Neda Shargi.[6][7] A U.S. official said the Biden administration is treating the issue of the detainees independently from the Iran nuclear deal negotiations and is trying to resolve it as soon as possible.[8]

In 2022, Emad's sister, Neda, joined the steering committee of the Bring Our Families Home campaign[9] to further raise awareness of Emad's detention and other Americans deemed hostages or wrongful detainees.

Emad was ultimately freed from imprisonment in Iran on September 18, 2023, as part of an Iran–United States prisoner release mediated by Qatar.[10] He arrived back on American soil in early morning on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 in Washington, D.C.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "A Family's Anguish and Cautious Hope After Dad Is Imprisoned in Iran: 'Missing a Huge Chunk of Our Family'". People.
  2. ↑ "3 Years Later, A Prisoner's Family Still Awaits His Return From Iran'". NPR.
  3. ↑ "Iran jails U.S. businessman, possibly jeopardizing Biden's plans for diplomacy with Tehran'". NBC News.
  4. ↑ "They thought, 'why not Iran,' and the decision upended their lives". WION.
  5. ↑ "Iran arrests US dual national on spying charges". BBC News.
  6. ↑ "Families of Americans detained in Iran press for their release". PBS NewsHour. 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  7. ↑ "Daughters of American held in Iran discuss his 5-year confinement and move to house arrest". PBS NewsHour. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  8. ↑ "US Could Free These Iranians in Prisoner Swap". VOA News.
  9. ↑ "Campaign Team". BRING OUR FAMILIES HOME CAMPAIGN. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "'The nightmare is over': Americans freed by Iran in prisoner swap". BBC. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Hansler, Jennifer (2023-09-19). "Five Americans back on US soil after release from Iranian detention | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
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