Five months after his arrest in Iran of charges of espionage, American Amir Mirzaei Hekmati has been sentenced to death for his alleged crimes. Hekmati was convicted of “working for an enemy contry…for membership in the CIA and alsofor his efforts to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism,” according to Fars news agency. Hekmati, who served in the Marines from 2001 to 2005, was arrested in August while visiting relatives.
Hekmati’s family within the United States denied the accusations. “We are deeply concerned that Amir is not receiving a fair trial and has not been afforded due process,” they said in a statement. “We have struggled to provide Amir with an attorney in Iran. We have sought to hire at least 10 different attorneys in Tehran to no avail.” Iranian authorities claim Hekmati contracted his services and was working on behalf of the CIA.
