September 06-13
The US State Department made a special appeal to Iran last Wednesday to free the three American citizens confined in Iran—Robert Levinson, Amir Hekmati and Saeed Abedini.
The appeal came in a written statement issued in the name of Secretary of State John Kerry.
The statement was believed promoted by complaints from the wife of Abedini and his conservative supporters that President Obama isn’t doing enough on his behalf.
Abedini’s case is being followed closely by evangelical Christian groups. Abedini is a convert to Christianity and an evangelical pastor at an Idaho church. But there is concern that some Republicans who are evangelicals are trying to use Abedini’s case for partisan purposes by flaying Obama as uninterested.
The State Department statement made the point that Abedini is not the only American locked up in Iran.
The American Center for Law and Justice, the main conservative group that has been supporting the Abedini family, said it was delighted at Kerry’s statement, but still dissatisfied that Obama himself had remained silent.
Presidents only rarely speak out about Americans imprisoned overseas, of which there are many. That is generally seen as the province of the State Department.
ACLJ International Director Tiffany Barnes said, “Pastor Saeed’s wife, Naghmeh, is grateful for Secretary Kerry’s statement, but, like the ACLJ, she believes that the lack of presidential engagement sends a resounding echo to Tehran. While Saeed is important enough for the secretary, Saeed’s freedom—and religious freedom in general—does not rate high on the president’s priorities.”
ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow also weighed in with a slap at Obama. ”It is time for the president of the United States to engage his case. When a US citizen—a Christian pastor—is illegally imprisoned in a foreign land, it should be a top priority of the president to bring him home.”
During President George W. Bush’s 2004 campaign, Sekulow served as the National Youth Coalition director for the Bush-Cheney Campaign. In the 2008 presidential primaries, Sekulow worked for Mitt Romney, serving as a vice chair of his National Faith And Values Steering Committee.
Kerry’s statement said, “The United States respectfully asks the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to work cooperatively with us in our efforts to help US citizens Robert Levinson, Amir Hekmati and Saeed Abedini to return to their families after lengthy detentions.”
It noted that Levinson disappeared in Iran more than six years ago, that Hekmati just passed his second anniversary in Evin prison and that Abedini will finish the first year of an eight-year sentence later this month.
Kerry said, “President Rohani has shared in his speeches and interviews over the past few months his hope and vision to improve the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s relationship with the world. We urge the Iranian government to release Mr. Hekmati and Mr. Abedini and to help us locate Mr. Levinson so that they may be reunited with their families as safely and as soon as possible. These men belong at home with those who love them and miss them.”
While Abedini is Christian, Hekmati is Muslim and Levinson is Jewish.