Justice for Iran’s old hostages — but not for the new ones

Sarah Hakmati, sister of Iranian
hostage Marine Sgt. Amir Hekmati, at
a vigil last month outside the White
House. Photo: AFP/Getty
The 53 Americans held hostage in
Iran for 444 days back when Jimmy
Carter was president have finally won
their unconscionably long battle to
be compensated for their harrowing
ordeal.
The huge year-end spending bill
includes restitution of up to $10,000
per day of captivity to the 37
surviving ex-hostages (and the
others’ estates). That could work out
to $4.4 million each for ordeals that
included torture, lengthy solitary
confinement and mock executions.
The Carter-negotiated Algiers Accord,
which ended the crisis, specifically
barred the hostages from suing Iran.
And efforts in Congress to
appropriate funds kept falling victim
to budget give-and-take.
Some hoped compensation would be
included in President Obama’s
nuclear deal with Iran. But the White
House insisted on focusing “on one
issue and one issue only.”
What broke the logjam? Congress
seized on a recent windfall — a
Paris-based bank’s $9 billion penalty
for violating US sanctions against
Iran, Sudan and Cuba — to finally
fund payments for the hostages.
Yet even as these ex-hostages win
their battle after 35 years, Iran holds
other Americans captive today. Four
of them — journalist Jason Rezaian,
former Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor
Saeed Abedini and retired FBI agent
Robert Levinson — have been held
captive far longer than the original
hostages. And Tehran arrested
another, businessman Siamak Amazi,
after agreeing to the nuke accord.
None can think about compensation
yet — they’re still hoping Washington
will finally gain their freedom.

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