A one-minute video of Dubai-based, Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi, who has been detained in Iran since Oct. 15, 2015, surfaced on Twitter and Telegram. Titled “Latest Contempt,” the video was released for download on Oct. 16 by Nasim Online, known as a news agency close the Principlist faction.
The short video opens with pictures of previously captured American drones and US sailors in Iran. It contains images of Jason Rezaian, the former Washington Post correspondent in Tehran who was convicted following an espionage trial and released in January after spending 18 months in prison.
The video continues with displays of dateless footage of Namazi’s arrest together with pictures of his American passport. The video ends with a quote by Ed Royce, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a member of the Republican Party, who said on Oct. 30, 2015, “The arrest of Siamak Namazi is the latest show of contempt for America.” At the end of what seems to be an online campaign video, Royce’s quote is translated into Persian and the hashtag #latestcontempt is accentuated in red. The release of the video coincides with Namazi’s one-year anniversary in prison.
Namazi was reportedly detained during a visit to Iran and was rumored to be one of the dual nationals who was going to be released together with Rezaian in a prisoner swap with the United States in January. Baquer Namazi, who is Siamak’s 80-year-old father and a former UNICEF official, has also been detained in Iran since Feb. 22 on unspecified charges.
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