Judge Rules – Iran Required To Pay $63 Million To U.S. Marine They Imprisoned There!

by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton | October 3, 2017 2:40 pm

Judge Ellen Huvelle of the US District Court in Washington, DC, has ruled that Iran must pay a former US Marine, who they imprisoned for more than four years, $63 million. They never will of course, but it was a good ruling. Huvelle granted Amir Hekmati’s motion for a default judgment after Iran failed to respond to the complaint. Now, they will fail to respond to a demand for payment as well. Hekmati, who was released in January of 2016 as part of a prisoner exchange, alleged he was falsely imprisoned and tortured. No doubt that is true. It’s what the Iranians do.

The damages awarded to Hekmati include economic and punitive damages, as well as those for “pain and suffering” during and after imprisonment. It’s a pity that Iran doesn’t give a flying crap about our laws or judicial proceedings. Hekmati’s attorney Scott Gilbert stated that they were pleased with the decision and “will do everything in our power to ensure that Amir’s claim is paid in full.” Good luck with that. Terrorist regimes tend to be singularly uncooperative over things like this.

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Hekmati had gone to Iran to visit his family and to sit with his grandmother who was very ill. In August of 2011, he was detained on espionage charges. They were totally fabricated, but any excuse will do to nab an American soldier. He was given a death sentence that was later overturned by Iran’s supreme court. Instead he was given a 10-year sentence, which they were hoping was still a death sentence. In Iranian prison hell-holes, it usually is.

Hekmati was born in Arizona and grew up in Michigan. His family resides in the Flint area. So, this is a US citizen all the way. That should have been considered an act of war. I guess we don’t do that anymore.

In the lawsuit, a whole list of atrocities were leveled at Iran. Hekmati was whipped on the bottom of his feet, he was electrocuted in the kidneys with a Taser and he was forced to stay “in stress positions for hours at a time, and hit with batons.” No one had contact with him for 17 months. Hekmati also charges that he was forced to take lithium and other addictive drugs, which were then withheld to induce withdrawal symptoms. There were other forms of torture as well inflicted on him.

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A court document was filed Friday and it stated that Hekmati “continued to suffer from his detention” after his release and return to the US. He has been evaluated “in relationship to the psychiatric effects of his imprisonment.” They are not releasing details on his diagnosis or his overall condition at this time. Iran freed Hekmati, Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and two other Iranian-Americans in exchange for pardons or charges being dropped against seven Iranians. That deal also saw the US make a $400 million cash delivery to Iran. It was an outrage and these men deserve better than that. Iran should be held accountable for their monstrous treatment of them.

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Iran.jpg
  2. [Image]: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Iran1.jpg

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