Another American Detained in Iran?
EmailYet another American citizen has disappeared in Iran and is feared to be in detention, according to Human Rights Watch, a nongovernmental organization based in New York. Ali Shakeri, an Iranian-American dual citizen, was scheduled to leave Iran on May 13, but "he disappeared from the radar," Human Rights Watch’s Hadi Ghaemi told ABC News. Ghaemi has been in touch with Shakeri’s associates who say the political activist and writer from Irvine, Calif., was in Iran to visit his mother who died while he was there. According to a statement released by Human Rights Watch, those associates believe Shakeri is "being detained by Iranian authorities." "The Iranian government has not provided any public information about his whereabouts," the statement continued. If Shakeri is detained, he would be the third Iranian-American to be detained by Iran in recent weeks in addition to others who have been prevented from leaving the country. The U.S. State Department could not confirm that Shakeri was missing or detained, but deputy spokesman Tom Casey said, "We are concerned by the fact that there appears to be a pattern here of harassment against private citizens and against private Iranian-Americans, and that’s something that I guess the Iranians will have to offer an explanation for." Casey said the U.S. does not plan to raise the subject of the detained Americans during an historic meeting with Iran planned for next Monday. For the first time in decades, the United States and Iran will hold high-level talks in Baghdad between U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Iranian officials. Casey said that meeting would focus exclusively on issues related to Iraq. The United States accuses Iran of fomenting sectarian violence in Iraq by providing munitions and training to armed groups in an effort to destabilize the country and attack U.S. troops. Do you have a tip for Brian Ross & the Investigative Team?
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Well, Well, Well now that he have tought the rest of the world how to detain personnel we should not be concerned that Iran will play the same games, you get what you preach
Viet-Vet
Posted by: B Shaw | May 24, 2007, 5:29 pm 5:29 pm
I am a former U.S. marine and Vietnam veteran with 1st Light AntiAircraft Missile Battalion who president chose to send to Vietnam in in 1965. I extended my service in the Marine Corps and volunteered for that duty because I believed that country needed our service. Prior to the marines I was raised on a farm in Kansas and lived in the Rocky mountains, in the marines I learned a lot about survival. Now in the 1990s I was meeting native Hawaiians and with me were environmentalist whom I had just met and knew little about. In the next few minutes I would learn a lot. The setting, we were on a bench out side of the business office over looking a topical floral garden with a stream, and a cat with her litter was sleeping bushes. One of the male environmentalist said, what a nice mother cat I am going over there and pick her up. I said, no do not do that she is wild. He said, I am from a different planet. And with that he walked over and picked up the mother cat who was sleeping. The mother cat who had been desensitized to human traffic did not jump up and ran run off, but she did leave her marks on this fellows arms, chest, and face with her claws. He returned a bloody mess. Later I discovered he was soliciting native Hawaiian help in opening a store for selling his out-of-this-world water which I think came from Venus, I do not know if he received their support, but his store did open for a few months later in down town Hilo, Hawaii they posted a news letter, and sold art work, and then it closed.
I would think the Iranians would negotiate and not chose to take human prisoners if that is what they are doing. Negotiations are really easy, it is only the unsaid obstacles in our mind that makes it hard, our imagination, or the sudden rush to judgment. Monday is now just a few days away and this meeting for both sides is a most import bench mark gathering and in the balance rests the deliverance of the middle east. With it is the next phase beginning for the wanted victory and peace in Iraq, or the probable sudden dismantling of Tehran. For myself I would choose and strive for victory and peace, but the Iranians are not accustom to negotiation and how to accomplish these high level offerings.
There was no years of political and industrial pathways to make it easy for both of the leaders, but for the common good of the middle east the parties must make a decision which is for the betterment of the global world.
Posted by: Williamwfh | May 24, 2007, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm
Ali Shakeri is a family friend of ours, and according to his wife, he’s in France at the moment.
It would be good for ABC News to do a little bit of research before making claims that the Iranian government is detaining someone. Especially at this time when tensions are high between the US and Iranian governments. Unless, of course, ABC News is against the Iranian government and intentionally wants to fan the flame.
Posted by: K Karimi | May 24, 2007, 11:23 pm 11:23 pm
Actually, K Karimi, Kirit Radia names the Human Rights Watch as the source of this information. The HRW website quotes “Associates of Ali Shakeri, another Iranian-American who had recently traveled to Iran, told Human Rights Watch that he is also being detained by the Iranian authorities.”
What ABC news is reporting here is simply what HRW claims Shakeri’s “associates” have told them.
Maybe YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS FANNING FLAMES, Karimi…or maybe not…perhaps it’s just that you can’t trust what people say…
Posted by: Jazz | May 25, 2007, 10:31 am 10:31 am
If Ali Shakeri’s wife is claiming that her husband is in France, isn’t that a more trustworthy source than any organization?
If Ali Shakeri was really missing, his wife would be the first person to want to know where her husband was.
Posted by: K Karimi | May 25, 2007, 12:09 pm 12:09 pm
Maybe…maybe not, K…I was simply commenting on your second paragraph…nothing personal…
Posted by: Jazz | May 25, 2007, 12:15 pm 12:15 pm
Jazz – Far more difficult than trusting individuals, especially ones you may personal contact with, is trusting what used to be called ‘journalists’ in the good ‘ol usa. Karimi’s suspicions against ABC are hardly out of line. IMO, the mainstream media is only slightly more trustworthy than Pravda in today’s Russia. True, in this example it appears ABC is just copying and pasting from HRW’s website, yet look at what ABC has done before:
ABC news announces hate speech icon Glenn Beck, joins the team:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704040008
More about Beck:
http://achorn.blogspot.com/2007/02/updated-glenn-beck-boycott-faq.html
ABC News political director Mark Halipern is typical of the dishonesty imbedded in mainstream journalism today.
http://mediamatters.org/altercation/200610260009
And how about ABC’s airing of the patently dishonest movie about 9-11? (Path to 9-11)
and on and on….
Posted by: L. A. | May 25, 2007, 5:04 pm 5:04 pm
How do you get down on anyone for detaining anybody when we have hundreds of detainees in Gitmo who have been there for years? Many of whom have no proven ties to any “terrorist group” or as being “enemy combatants” what so ever????
Double standards.
Just like the nuke issue.
Posted by: Zach | May 25, 2007, 7:26 pm 7:26 pm
Zach, an excellent point. When we stoop down to the terrorists level i.e. Abu Ghraib prison and the infamous naked pyramid of prisoners with a female soldier laughing and smoking, how do we expect a country like Iran which cares nothing about human rights to operate with no fear of international condemnation. They’ll just point to the US and say “if they can do it”…just gives them the excuse when we give up the high moral ground.
Posted by: Larry | May 26, 2007, 8:26 pm 8:26 pm
Let`s see, if the Iranians are as fair as we are, these detainees might get to trial in 6 or 7 years, while Bush is writing his memoirs.
Posted by: A Viet Nam Vet | May 29, 2007, 4:52 pm 4:52 pm
I’m thinking that, if the Iraqis would have been better off with Saddaam than with the current chaos, and we should have left him alone, then we probably should have supported the Shah a little better. After all, the rough stuff he perpetrated was trivial compared to the Iran of today. Perhaps we need the Shah and Saddaam back, just because of the realities of governance in the region.
Posted by: Al Clarke | May 30, 2007, 1:38 am 1:38 am
Americans get the hell of out Dodge cause its about to explode!
Posted by: cuah01 | June 5, 2007, 9:59 pm 9:59 pm