An Iranian American jeweler from New York, Kamran Hekmati, was released from Tehran’s Evin prison on September 5 after serving about half of a two‑year sentence, but he remains barred from leaving Iran.
Hekmati’s family expressed deep concern for his health, noting he requires regular medical checkups to monitor a bladder cancer diagnosis. They warned that the Iranian regime shows little regard for his medical needs.
The jeweler was arrested last July after Iranian authorities seized his passport while he attempted to depart Tehran in May. His family says he was charged under a law that prohibits Iranian citizens from visiting Israel within the last decade, even though his last trip to Israel was 13 years ago for his son’s bar mitzvah.
U.S. officials, including Representative Thomas Suozzi and the State Department, have called for Iran to lift the exit ban and release Hekmati, who is also Jewish and runs a Manhattan jewelry business. Suozzi urged the U.S. to reunite Hekmati with his family.
The case has drawn attention to broader concerns about Iranian detention practices, highlighted by fellow American journalist Reza Valizadeh’s reports of harsh prison conditions and limited medical care for inmates.
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