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Amir Mirza Hekmati

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Amir Hekmati
Born
Amir Mirza Hekmati

1983 (age 42–43)
Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States[1][2]
Branch
United States Marine Corps[1][2]
Service years
2001–2005[a]
Rank
Sergeant[1][2]
Unit2nd Battalion, 4th Marines[2]
Conflicts
Iraq War[1][2]
Awards
Alma materUniversity of Michigan–Flint (BS)
Other workBAE Systems
Kuma Reality Games
Lucid Linguistics, LLC

Amir Mirza Hekmati (Persian: امیر میرزا حکمتی; born 1983) is an Iranian-American translator and former United States Marine Corps soldier who was detained by Iran between August 2011 and January 16, 2016.[3]

Hekmati was sentenced to death on January 9, 2012, on allegations of spying for the CIA.[4][5] On March 5, 2012, the Supreme Court of Iran overturned the death sentence and ordered a retrial, stating that the verdict against Hekmati was "not complete".[6][7] On January 16, 2016, Hekmati was released and allowed to leave Iran as part of a prisoner exchange between the United States and Iran.[8] He returned to the United States on January 21, 2016, and later sued both the Government of Iran and the Department of Justice.[9][10]

Early life

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Hekmati was born in 1983 in Flagstaff, Arizona; he has a twin sister, Leila.[11][12] His parents, Ali and Behnaz Hekmati, left Iran in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution and settled in Arizona, where Ali completed a doctorate in microbiology.[12] The family settled in Flint, Michigan, where Hekmati's father accepted a position as professor of microbiology at Mott Community College.[12][13][14]

Career and detention

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Military career

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On August 20, 2001, Hekmati enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.[12][15] He completed military training at Recruit Depot San Diego, followed by the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, California, where he trained as a rifleman.[12] Hekmati briefly attended the Defense Language Institute, where he learned Arabic.[16] He was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon while deployed in the Iraq War, and was discharged on August 19, 2005, with the rank of sergeant.[14][15][1]

In February 2006, Hekmati founded Lucid Linguistics LLC, which provided military contracting services for the translation of Arabic and Persian.[15][17] He also developed a language and cultural training app for the Department of Defense, which was later acquired by the software company Vcom3d and renamed the Vcommunicator Mobile.[18] Between 2005 and 2007, Hekmati is alleged to have worked on a DARPA report regarding two-way translation systems, published by Mitre Corporation.[15][19] He is cited in the "Acknowledgements" section of Applying Automated Metrics to Speech Translation Dialogs, a paper published by Mitre.[20][21] He was later employed by Kuma Reality Games to work on a language-learning video game for the Department of Defense.[22]

Between March and September 2010, Hekmati worked in Kansas for BAE Systems, a multinational defense contractor.[23][24] He then worked in Iraq from September 2010 to May 2011 as a culture and language expert.[15][25]

Espionage arrest and trial

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According to his parents, Hekmati traveled to Iran after obtaining permission from the Interests Section of Iran of the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C.[26][27] He was arrested in August 2011 while visiting his grandmother and other relatives.[26] Iran alleged that Hekmati entered the country from Bagram Airfield via Dubai, and claimed that he underwent military intelligence training before his trip to implicate the country in state-sponsored terrorist activities.[28] However, Marine Corps records show that did not receive such training.[3][4][16]

On December 18, 2011, a confession by Hekmati appeared on Iranian state television, in which he stated that he had infiltrated Iran in order to establish a CIA presence in the country.[29] Furthermore, according to excerpts from his alleged confession published in the Tehran Times, Hekmati specified that Kuma Reality Games was paid by the CIA to design movies and video games that would give viewers a negative impression of the Middle East.[30] Hekmati's family and the U.S. government denied the contents of the confession, asserting that it was coerced.[26][2] Federal prosecutor Pierre-Richard Prosper was hired by Hekmati's family to help secure his return home.[31][32]

Hekmati underwent trial before the Islamic Revolutionary Court and was provided with an Iranian lawyer.[33] The Embassy of Switzerland in Tehran, which manages diplomatic channels between Iran and the United States, applied for consular access to him but was denied.[34] On January 9, 2012, the Court declared Hekmati to be "spreading corruption on Earth" (Mofsed-e-filarz) and guilty of "waging war against God" (Moharebeh). He was sentenced to death for cooperating with the United States.[4]

Death sentence annulled

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On March 5, 2012, the Supreme Court of Iran overturned Hekmati's death sentence and ordered a retrial, stating that the verdict against him was "not complete".[6][35] He awaited a retrial until April 2014, when his family announced that a secret court had once again convicted him of "practical collaboration with the U.S. government" and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.[7][36]

Calls for release

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President Barack Obama repeatedly called upon Iran to release Hekmati, as well as other U.S. citizens who were held prisoner in the country, including The Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini.[37][38]

On May 11, 2015, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Iranian government to immediately release Hekmati, Abedini, and Rezaian, and to cooperate with the U.S. government to locate and return Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent reported missing in Iran. The resolution also called on the U.S. government to use every diplomatic tool at its disposal to secure their release.[39]

Release

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On January 16, 2016, Hekmati was released from Iran along with Rezaian, Abedini, and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, in exchange for the release of seven Iranian prisoners and the dropping of charges against fourteen other Iranians by the U.S. government.[40][41] After being freed, Hekmati departed Iran and traveled to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. military hospital in Germany, where he underwent a medical evaluation. He returned to his family in Flint on January 21, 2016.[9] In 2017, Hekmati completed his bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Michigan–Flint.[42][43]

Lawsuits

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On May 11, 2016, Hekmati sued the Iranian government for wrongful detention, claiming that he was tortured through electric shock and forced drug withdrawal while detained.[10] On October 3, 2017, U.S. District Court Judge Ellen S. Huvelle for the District of Columbia granted Hekmati a default judgment of $63 million from frozen Iranian assets, in addition to $20 million in funds to be provided by the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.[44][45] However, payment was held up due to the Department of Justice alleging that Hekmati lied about his reasons for being in Iran, with suspicions that he sought to provide classified intelligence there.[45] As a result, he sued the Department of Justice, in a lawsuit that is ongoing as of October 2025.[46][47]

Awards and decorations

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1st Row Combat Action Ribbon[2] Good Conduct Medal[2] National Defense Service Medal[2]
2nd Row Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal[2] Global War on Terrorism Service Medal[2] Sea Service Deployment Ribbon[2]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ According to his official U.S. Marine Corps service record, Hekmati served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 20 August 2001 to 19 August 2005.[2]
  2. ^ According to his official U.S. Marine Corps service record, Hekmati served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 1 April 2004 to 25 September 2004.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Harkins, Gina (17 May 2013). "Iran holds former Marine for almost 2 years: Dad sick with cancer, family seeks release". Military Times. Gannett Company, Inc. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Harris, David (9 January 2012). "U.S. Marine Corps releases Amir Hekmati's service record". The Flint Journal. MLive. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b Marc Burleigh (18 December 2011). "Iran TV shows 'CIA spy' speaking of alleged mission". Agence France Presse. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-09. "It was their plan to first burn some useful information, give it to them (the Iranians) and let the intelligence ministry think that this is good material and contact me afterwards," the clean-shaven man in his 20s said.
  4. ^ a b c "Iran sentences US man to death for spying". NBC News. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Iran sentences US man to death for spying". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 January 2012. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-09. But Hekmati's family in the United States told US media he had traveled to Iran to visit his Iranian grandmothers and he was not a spy.
  6. ^ a b "Iran pulls death penalty for Amir Mirzai Hekmati, former U.S. Marine convicted of spying for CIA | News | National Post". News.nationalpost.com. 27 December 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  7. ^ a b Al Hajal, Khalil (28 July 2012). "Family of Amir Hekmati issues statement marking Iran detainee's birthday as supporters in Flint plan benefit concert". M Live. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  8. ^ Michael Pearson; Elise Labott (16 January 2016). "Reporter Jason Rezaian among 5 Americans freed by Iran". CNN. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  9. ^ a b Amir Hekmati arrives at Flint's Bishop Airport WJRT-TV, January 21, 2016
  10. ^ a b Former Marine Amir Hekmati sues Iran for alleged torture CNN, May 11, 2016
  11. ^ "Iran Sentences American to Death Amid Tensions Over Hormuz". Businessweek. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2012.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ^ a b c d e Blake Thorne, The man who disappeared: Life before prison for captured Marine and Flint man Amir Hekmati, MLive (May 18, 2014).
  13. ^ Adams, Dominic (25 September 2012). "Vigil for Amir Hekmati tonight at Mott". The Flint Journal. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  14. ^ a b Anderson, Elisha (25 September 2012). "Flint family has message for Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Let our son out of prison". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  15. ^ a b c d e Pincus, Walter (23 January 2012). "An American is caught in Iran's spy game". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  16. ^ a b Ferran, Lee (20 December 2011). "American Held By Iran as CIA 'Spy' Had No Military Intel Training". ABC News. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  17. ^ "Convicted spy's war-games work cited". United Press International. 11 January 2012.
  18. ^ "Limited Liability Company Details". www.dleg.state.mi.us. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  19. ^ Martin, Adam (19 December 2011). "Iran Shows the Man It Alleges Is a U.S. Spy on State Television". The Atlantic.
  20. ^ Mitre Corporation. "Applying Automated Metrics to Speech Translation Dialogs" (PDF). International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation. p. 8. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  21. ^ Parvaz, Dan. "Applying Automated Metrics to Speech Translation Dialogs". Mitre Corporation.
  22. ^ Totilo, Stephen (29 August 2012). "The United States Government Kindly Asks Iran To Free Imprisoned American Game Developer Already". Kotaku.
  23. ^ Rozen, Laura (9 January 2012). "U.S. condemns reported Iran death sentence for former U.S. Marine". Yahoo News.
  24. ^ Karimi, Nasser; Brian Murphy (9 January 2012). "Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, Former U.S. Marine, Sentenced To Death In Iran". Huffington Post.
  25. ^ "Amir Mirzaei Hekmati". The New York Times. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  26. ^ a b c Death row American's lawyer calls for compassion from Iran By Bryony Jones, CNN | 10 January 2012
  27. ^ Newton, Paula (25 September 2012). "Father fears he may never see his son imprisoned in Iran". CNN.
  28. ^ Burgleigh, Marc (18 December 2011). "Iran TV shows 'CIA spy' speaking of alleged mission". Archived from the original on 8 January 2012.
  29. ^ Tito, Greg (18 December 2011). "Iran state TV airs "confession" of detained CIA spy". Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  30. ^ Tito, Greg (9 January 2012). "Jailed Spy: CIA Paid Developer to Make Anti-Middle East Games". Escapist Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012. mirror
  31. ^ Dover, Sara. "Mitt Romney Advisor Pierre Prosper hired in Iran spy case". International Business Times. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  32. ^ Labott, Elise. "EXCLUSIVE: Lawyer takes on Iran spy case". CNN. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  33. ^ "Iran seeks death penalty for alleged US spy". The Guardian. Associated Press. 27 December 2011. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  34. ^ "U.S. citizen goes on trial in Iran on spying charges". Reuters. 27 December 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011.
  35. ^ Ferran, Lee. "15. Report: American Ex-Marine 'spy' in Iran to get retrial". ABC News. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  36. ^ Sciutto, Jim; Chelsea J. Carter (11 April 2014). "Family: Ex-US Marine convicted in Iran, sentenced to 10 years prison". Cable News Network. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  37. ^ David Jackson, Obama calls on Iran to release U.S. citizens, USA Today (March 20, 2015).
  38. ^ Obama calls on Iran to release 'unjustly detained' Americans, The Guardian (July 21, 2015). See also President Obama Calls for the Release of Amir Hekmati and Other Americans Held in Iran, C-SPAN (video of July 21, 2015 speech to Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention).
  39. ^ Senate Calls on Iran to Release U.S. Citizens, United States Institute of Peace (May 11, 2015).
  40. ^ Michael Pearson. "Iran free four U.S. prisoners, including Jason Rezaian, in swap". Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  41. ^ "Jason Rezaian and three other US prisoners leave Iran". BBC News. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  42. ^ Lapin, Andrew (2017). "Amir Came Home". Alumni Association of the University of Michigan. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  43. ^ Carmody Steve,"Amir Hekmati: One Year Later", Michigan Public Radio, January 16, 2017
  44. ^ Judge orders Iran to pay Amir Hekmati $63 million for imprisonment, torture The Flint Journal via MLive.com, October 3, 2017
  45. ^ a b "Once held in Iranian jail, ex-US Marine fights espionage claims". Al Jazeera. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  46. ^ Scarcella, Mike (11 March 2024). "US says ex-Marine was properly denied $20 mln terror-victim payment". Reuters. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  47. ^ "HEKMATI v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE et al (1:23-cv-03774), District Of Columbia District Court". PacerMonitor. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
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