Huffington Post:

"It is only when a mosquito lands on your testicles that you realize there is always a way to solve problems without using violence."

Siamak Namazi sent me an Internet meme with this quote only a few weeks ago. It was his clever way of responding to the heated discussions I was having on social media in his defense. The Daily Beast had just published an article attacking Siamak and his family, via a pseudonym, as Siamak was being interrogated in Iran.

The article falsely claims that the Namazi family stood to gain millions of dollars from the P5+1 Iran Deal and they were promoting the deal through "the Iran Lobby," the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). It also claims that the Namazis played a key role as the "intellectual architects" of NIAC when, in fact, they had no role at all. Neither is NIAC a lobby for the Iranian government, as The Daily Beast's article falsely suggested. The writer misrepresents many more facts and in some cases, tells outright lies. Siamak was arrested soon after the article was published; it is widely believed that the article both contributed to Siamak's arrest and fabricated fodder for the case against him.

I have served on NIAC's Board for two years and I am proud to call Siamak a close friend of more than sixteen years. Some may say I am, therefore, biased. Like anyone defending an innocent friend or family friend, I am biased toward justice and facts. I do not know what agenda the author of the article has, nor will I ever, given that he or she did not have the confidence to use a real name.

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