By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
As lawmakers prepare to vote on legislation to disapprove of the Iran nuclear agreement, a former Iranian prisoner has emphasized the benefits the deal brings.
"This deal is a win-win for everyone," said Sarah Shourd who was held by the Iranian government for 410 days between 2009 and 2010 before being released on "humanitarian grounds".
"It’s in everyone’s best interests to de-escalate this decades of animosity. But human rights is still a huge issue in Iran," she said.
Shourd was taken into custody after allegedly crossing the Iran-Iraq border while hiking with two friends -- Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal -- in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Iran accused the trio of spying, but did not corroborate the charges with evidence.
Just as relations warm between the West and Iran following years-long negotiations on the nuclear pact, Washington must maintain its pressure on Iran to improve its human rights record, Shourd said.
"We need to make sure that the path of normalization between our two countries doesn’t happen without more demands on human rights, and that includes the three or possibly four American hostages being held there, all of which have done nothing wrong, committed no crime and don’t deserve to be there," she said.
The Obama administration has faced pointed criticism from Republicans for finalizing the nuclear accord with Tehran while Americans remain imprisoned in the country.
"We have four prisoners over there. We should have said let the prisoners out. They shouldn’t be over there," Republican front-runner Donald Trump said shortly after the agreement was finalized in July.
There are currently three Americans imprisoned in Iran, and a fourth who went missing in the country nearly a decade ago.
Amir Hekmati, a Marine veteran, was sentenced to death in the Islamic republic on charges of espionage. The capital punishment was overturned by a secret court, and he was instead sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The Washington Post’s Tehran Bureau Chief, Jason Rezaian, was arrested by police July 22, 2014. He has since been charged with espionage, and is currently on trial.
Rezaian was accredited to work as a journalist for the Post by Iranian authorities at the time of his arrest.
Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor and convert from Islam, was arrested in Iran in 2012. His charges stem from his conversion and is currently serving an eight-year prison term.
A fourth American who was a former FBI and CIA contractor has gone missing in the country. Robert Levinson disappeared after visiting Iran’s Kish Island in 2007. Iranian officials have disavowed knowledge about his whereabouts.
While the deal’s critics have adamantly insisted that Americans be released from Iranian jails as part of the deal, Shourd cautioned against directly tying their release to the nuclear accord, saying that doing so could backfire "because if the deal hadn’t gone through then that would be terrible for them".
"That would mean that they may never get out," said Shourd, stressing that she is confident U.S. negotiators "did their best" to push for their release.
She added that the successful brokering of the deal increases the likelihood that Americans still in Iranian custody could be released.
"It definitely bodes well for the Americans still there, and I hope it bodes well for all of the Iranian political prisoners that have stood up for human rights and democracy in the country," she said.
