ADVOCACY
FREE THE HIKERS
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After my imprisonment I was at the center of negotiations between the US, Iraqi, Omani, and Venezuelan governments and played a crucial role in procuring the release of fellow prisoners Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal.
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HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN
(2011-2015)
I have been a vocal advocate in support of Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal, stating that under this new deal Iran would have less incentive to hold Americans as hostages and both countries would benefit from direct talks and a warming of relations. I continue to weigh in on human rights issues in Iran, including calling for the release of Iranian political prisoners and/or American hostages such as Zahra Bahrami, Jason Rezaian, Nasrin Sotoudeh, and Kaila Mueller.
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ENDING SOLITARY CONFINEMENT & MASS INCARCERATION
(2011-CURRENT)
I'm an internationally known advocate against the overuse of solitary confinement in prisons. I worked in 2016 with Senator Mark Leno to pass the Stop the Torture of Children Act, a law that ended the use of solitary confinement for juveniles in detention in California, limiting the amount of time juveniles can be held in isolation to three hours.