Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #FreeTheNamazis
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1/4) Today, American citizen Baquer Namazi turns 85. For the 6th year in a row, he will spend his birthday as a hostage of #Iran, with Iranian authorities denying him the simple joy of celebrating the day with his children & grandchildren. 
2/4) Baquer's plight is proof that Iran's cruelty knows no bounds. Iran has refused to let him leave the country despite commuting his sentence in 2020. As a result, he has faced life-threatening health crises without the support of family & unable to access better care abroad.
3/4) As a doting grandfather & tireless humanitarian, this isn't the fate he deserves. Baquer earned the Medal of UNICEF & the Center for Human Rights for his unwavering devotion to children's rights & safety. Once retired, he cont'd to assist with disaster relief & non-profits.
5 years ago today I was freed from Evin prison in #Iran. @YeganehSalehi and I boarded a plane for a new life we couldn’t imagine. Isolated from most human contact and information for 544 days, I knew almost nothing about efforts to bring me home.
That began to change when we landed in Geneva. Waiting for us on the tarmac was @brett_mcgurk who, over 14 months, secretly negotiated our release. It almost fell through right at the end. He told us “someday I’ll tell you about the last 24 hours.”
I spent much of my time in my first months of freedom piecing together what had happened to me. True to his word, @brett_mcgurk and many other officials provided with me their accounts of working toward my release and the challenges and risks involved.
1/5 Today we received news that a prisoner in #US citizen #SiamakNamazi’s cell and bunk bed row has contracted #COVID19. Although this news is unsurprising considering the rampant spread of #COVID19 and terrible prison conditions in #Iran, it is nevertheless devastating.
2/5 The cellmate’s sister, @KRadjabi, tweeted this message, explaining that her brother had been taken to the hospital for a separate issue and had tested positive for #COVID19 prior to going into surgery. He is now being kept in prison quarantine.
3/5 This situation was PREDICTABLE and AVOIDABLE. Yet despite recently extending furloughs for over 100K prisoners, the #Iran judiciary has adamantly and irresponsibly refused to grant Siamak furlough. reuters.com/article/us-hea…
