Jewish American Released From Iranian Prison After Four-Year Sentence Over Israel Visit

Kamran Hekmati, a 71-year-old Iranian-American Jewish citizen, was released Saturday night from Evin Prison in Tehran after being jailed over a visit he made to Israel more than a decade earlier. Iranian sources and media outlets, including Radio "Farda," reported the news on Monday. Despite his early release, the order barring him from leaving Iran remains in effect, meaning he cannot yet return home to the United States.

Hekmati, an Iranian-born Jewish jeweler who lives in New York, traveled to Iran to visit relatives and was arrested by security forces. He was later tried by the Islamic Republic’s judicial system, with the charge against him based on a visit he made to Israel 13 years earlier.

According to his family and organizations involved in the case, Hekmati traveled to Israel to attend his son’s bar mitzvah celebration. Despite the many years that had passed since the visit, he was tried in Tehran and ultimately sentenced to four years in prison.

His family and those assisting him also claimed that the legal proceedings were exceptionally brief: the trial lasted just about 10 minutes and, they said, took place without a lawyer or witnesses present. Following his conviction, Hekmati was held in Evin Prison in the Iranian capital.

Throughout his imprisonment, his family also expressed concern about his health. Family members repeatedly stated that Hekmati is battling aggressive bladder cancer and claimed that, while in prison, he was denied medical care specifically suited to his illness.

Over the weekend, Hekmati was released from prison before completing his full sentence. However, no information has yet been released regarding his health following his release. At the same time, according to reports from Iran, the restriction preventing him from leaving the country has not been lifted, and he is still not permitted to return to the United States.