III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 529 

Calling upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to release 

Iranian-Americans Siamak Namazi and his father, Baquer Namazi. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 12, 2016 

Mr. BOOKER (for himself and Mr. HATCH) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of 

Iran to release Iranian-Americans Siamak Namazi and 

his father, Baquer Namazi. 

Whereas dual citizen of the United States and Iran Siamak 

Namazi studied international relations at Tufts University and urban planning at Rutgers University; 

Whereas Siamak Namazi was named as a Young Global 

Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2007; 

Whereas Siamak Namazi was a former Public Policy Fellow 

at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, was a business consultant, and most recently worked 

in the petroleum industry for a company based in Dubai, 

United Arab Emirates; 


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•SRES 529 IS 

Whereas Siamak Namazi traveled from Dubai to Tehran to 

visit relatives in July 2015; 

Whereas Siamak Namazi was prohibited from leaving Iran in 

mid-July 2015; 

Whereas Siamak Namazi was interrogated for 3 months before he was detained on October 15, 2015, without any 

charges; 

Whereas Amnesty International has stated that detainees and 

prisoners in Iran have reported ‘‘acts of torture and 

other ill-treatment, particularly during primary investigations mainly to force ‘confessions’ or gather other incriminatory evidence’’ and ‘‘were denied adequate medical 

care; in some cases, the authorities withheld prescribed 

medications to punish prisoners’’; 

Whereas, on March 14, 2016, the United Nations Special 

Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that serious human rights 

abuses continue to be reported in Iran including ‘‘an 

alarming surge in the rate of unlawful executions in the 

country and ongoing arbitrary arrests, detention and 

prosecution of individuals for the exercise of their fundamental rights’’ and at least 966 persons were executed in 

Iran in 2015, which is the highest rate in more than 20 

years; 

Whereas Siamak Namazi remains under arrest in Evin Prison even though no charges have been filed against him; 

Whereas dual citizen of the United States and Iran, Baquer 

Namazi, who is the father of Siamak Namazi was detained on February 22, 2016, and is also being held in 

Evin Prison; 


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•SRES 529 IS 

Whereas Baquer Namazi worked for UNICEF in New York 

and served as the UNICEF Representative to Somalia, 

Kenya, and Egypt; 

Whereas Baquer Namazi is a recognized leader of humanitarian causes, especially poverty eradication, through his 

United Nations work and his post-retirement civil society 

activities; 

Whereas Secretary of State John Kerry stated on February 

25, 2016, in response to a question about the detention 

of Siamak Namazi, ‘‘I am very familiar with this and I 

am engaged on it specifically’’; and 

Whereas, on January 16, 2016, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran released United States citizens 

Jason Rezaian of California, Saeed Abedini of Idaho, 

Amir Mirzaei Hekmati of Michigan, Matthew Trevithick 

of Massachusetts, and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls upon the Government of the Islamic 

3 Republic of Iran to unconditionally release Siamak 

4 and Baquer Namazi immediately; 

5 (2) urges the Secretary of State, the allies of 

6 the United States, and the United Nations to raise 

7 the cases of Siamak and Baquer Namazi with offi8 cials of the Government of the Islamic Republic of 

9 Iran at every opportunity and undertake efforts to 

10 secure their immediate release; 


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•SRES 529 IS 

1 (3) encourages the President to utilize appro2 priate measures against the Government of the Is3 lamic Republic of Iran if Siamak and Baquer 

4 Namazi are not released; and 

5 (4) expresses sympathy to the family of Siamak 

6 and Baquer Namazi for their anguish and expresses 

7 hope that their ordeal can be brought to an end in 

8 the near future. 

Æ 


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