MAY 29, 2015- nytimes- By RICK GLADSTONE – Relatives of three Americans imprisoned in Iran and of a fourth who has been missing there for eight years will be the featured witnesses on Tuesday at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, its chairman, Representative Ed Royce, Republican of California, announced Friday.
Mr. Royce said in a statement that their testimony would provide an opportunity “to hear from the families of these four Americans and explore ways to secure their release.” The four are Nagameh Abedini, wife of Saeed Abedini, an Idaho pastor sentenced to eight years; Sarah Hekmati, a sister of Amir Hekmati, a Marine veteran from Michigan sentenced to 10 years; Ali Rezaian, brother of Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post’s Tehran correspondent, who has been held since July and could face up to 20 years on charges including espionage; and Daniel Levinson, son of Robert A. Levinson, a former F.B.I. agent who disappeared in 2007. The hearing is taking place a week after the start of Mr. Rezaian’s trial in Tehran, which has been described as a sham by the United States government, outside rights groups and his family.
