An Iranian revolutionary court secretly tried U.S. Marine Corps veteran Amir Hekmati and found him guilty of “practical collaboration with the American government,” his attorney told the New York Times.
The court sentenced Hekmati to 10 years in prison. This is the second time Hekmati has been tried in Iran since he was detained there in August 2011 while visiting family. Hekmati was previously sentenced to death, but the verdict was later overturned.
Upon learning of his secret trial and sentence, the Hekmati family released a statement on Facebook which reads, in part:
"This conviction is unsettling specifically because Amir was born and raised in the United States and committed no crime, choosing only to visit Iran to spend time with his ailing grandmother...
"The Hekmati family respectfully asks senior Iranian officials to review Amir's conviction, and to resolve this grave misunderstanding by granting Amir his freedom and a safe return home."
Hekmati joined the Marine Corps in 2001 and received basic training at Camp Pendleton.
