Iranian-American Held in Iran Since July Is Said to Be Freed on Bail
By RICK GLADSTONEAPRIL 3, 2017
An American of Iranian descent arrested in Iran in July
and sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment on dubious charges has been released on bail after he went on a hunger strike, rights activists reported on Monday.
Mr. Shahini, a graduate student at San Diego State University, is one of at least four Americans of Iranian descent who have been
imprisoned in Iran since the country negotiated a nuclear agreement with major powers including the United States in 2015.
Other Americans held in Iran include Siamak and Baquer Namazi, a prominent father
and son who were sentenced in October to 10 years’ imprisonment, as well as Karan Vafadari, an art gallery owner, and his wife, Afarin Niasari, an Iranian with permanent United States residency status.
Mr. Ghaemi said that Mr. Shahini had been required to post bail of 2 billion rials — about $60,000 — and
that he could be sent back to prison if his conviction were affirmed on appeal.
The American, Robin Shahini, who is 46 or 47, was released about two weeks ago, just before the start of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran, a New York-based advocacy group
that gets information from contacts inside the country.
Many rights activists regard the imprisonments as a warning to Americans of Iranian descent not
to view the nuclear agreement as a sign of better relations between the United States and Iran.
Mr. Ghaemi speculated that the hunger strike had played an important role in the decision to release Mr. Shahini on bail.