"In lodging this petition to the UN, alongside pulling every lever of power available to us in D.C., we are committed to bringing attention to Reza's case, not only to secure his release, but to send an unequivocal message that the targeting of U.S. citizens abroad will not be tolerated," Ryan Fayhee, counsel to Valizadeh and a partner at the law firm Akin Gump, said in a statement. The State Department and a spokesperson for the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations did not immediately reply to a request for comment. In December 2024, after what the petition to the U.N. describes as a sham trial lasting less than an hour, and in which the judge acted as both prosecutor and adjudicator, Valizadeh was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Author: Olivia Gazis, Camilla Schick
Published at: 2026-01-20 22:44:30
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