A former U.S. detainee who spent years in Iran’s Evin Prison has issued a stark warning about the treatment and safety of at least four Americans currently believed to be held by Iranian authorities, including two officially designated by the U.S. government as “wrongfully detained.”
In an interview with CBS News published March 22, 2026, the ex-detainee — who spoke on condition of anonymity due to ongoing safety concerns — described Evin Prison as a facility where political prisoners face routine psychological pressure, prolonged solitary confinement, denial of medical care, and threats of execution. He expressed particular alarm for Reza Valizadeh and Kamran Hekmati, the two Americans the State Department has formally classified as wrongfully detained.
Both men are believed to be held inside Evin, the Islamic Republic’s most infamous political prison, known for housing dual nationals, journalists, activists, and foreign nationals accused of espionage or national-security offenses. Conditions in Evin have been repeatedly condemned by human-rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which have documented widespread torture, forced confessions, and lack of due process.
The former detainee said the current group of Americans faces heightened risks amid ongoing U.S.–Iran tensions, including recent military exchanges and stalled nuclear talks.
“They are bargaining chips,” he stated. “The longer they stay, the more pressure is applied — psychologically and physically — to extract concessions or force a prisoner swap.”
Valizadeh, an Iranian-American businessman, was arrested in 2022 on charges related to alleged economic crimes and national-security violations. Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine of Iranian descent, was first detained in 2011, released in a 2016 prisoner exchange, rearrested in 2020 while visiting family, and sentenced to 10 years on espionage-related charges that his family and the U.S. government have consistently denied.
The U.S. State Department has designated both men as wrongfully detained, a formal determination that triggers heightened diplomatic efforts, including potential prisoner-swap negotiations. At least two other U.S. citizens are also believed to be in Iranian custody, though their names and exact statuses have not been publicly confirmed by the government.
The former detainee urged the U.S. government and international community to maintain public pressure and pursue every diplomatic channel.
“Silence or delay costs lives and sanity,” he said. “These are not spies. They are ordinary people caught in a geopolitical vise.”
The State Department continues to advise U.S. citizens against travel to Iran, citing the high risk of arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly for dual nationals.
No active prisoner-swap talks have been publicly confirmed as of March 2026, though back-channel communications are widely believed to be ongoing.
