Kerry calls for 'immediate' release of American in Iran after letter detailing abuse

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Secretary of State John Kerry, in a first-ever statement from his office on the case of imprisoned Iranian-American Saeed Abedini, called Friday for Abedini to be “immediately released” and said he is “disturbed” by reports that he’s suffered physical and psychological abuse at the Iranian prison where he’s being held.

The statement was released by Kerry late Friday afternoon, and it came after the attorneys representing Abedini’s family released a letter the Christian pastor sent to his wife describing how he was beaten and denied medical treatment because he was seen as "unclean" because of his faith.

Kerry's call for the pastor’s release marks the first such formal statement on the case. The full statement from Kerry read as follows:

“I am deeply concerned about the fate of U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini, who has been detained for nearly six months and was sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran on charges related to his religious beliefs. I am disturbed by reports that Mr. Abedini has suffered physical and psychological abuse in prison, and that his condition has become increasingly dire. Such mistreatment violates international norms as well as Iran's own laws.  

“I am also troubled by the lack of due process in Mr. Abedini's case and Iran's continued refusal to allow consular access by Swiss authorities, the U.S. protecting power in Iran.  I welcome reports that Mr. Abedini was examined by a physician and expect Iranian authorities to honor their commitment to allow Mr. Abedini to receive treatment for these injuries from a specialist outside the prison. The best outcome for Mr. Abedini is that he be immediately released.”

Attorneys for Abedini's wife, Naghmeh Abedini, as well as lawmakers who have rallied on the prisoner’s behalf, have been urging Kerry to get directly involved. Republican lawmakers expressed dismay last Friday when the State Department did not provide a witness for a hearing at which Naghmeh Abedini testified.

Since that hearing, and the attention it received, the Obama administration has taken additional actions. State Department representatives met with Naghmeh Abedini last week, and the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday directly called for Abedini's release during a meeting in Geneva. An attorney for the family called that the "first pro-active statement by ... our administration" in the case.

State Department and White House officials have previously addressed Abedini’s case in public before, but only when questioned about it by reporters and others.

The Kerry statement late Friday marks a new level of escalation in the administration’s statements.

Hours earlier, a letter was released which was received by Saeed Abedini's family this week, though it may have been written weeks ago.

The letter from Saeed Abedini to his wife described in detail how he's been mistreated at Iran's notorious Evin Prison. He described how he saw his face for the first time in the mirror of an elevator.

"I said hi to the person staring back at me because I did not recognize myself," Abedini wrote. "My hair was shaven, under my eyes were swollen three times what they should have been, my face was swollen, and my beard had grown."

The pastor explained how, despite his situation, he is trying to focus on "forgiveness." He said he forgave the "interrogator who beat me" as well as the doctor who "did not give me the medication that I needed."

Abedini wrote that a nurse would not provide him with treatment because she said "in our religion we are not suppose to touch you, you are unclean." He wrote that he could not fall to sleep one night because of the pain, as he listened to the sound of "dirty sewer rats with their loud noises and screeches."

Attorney Jordan Sekulow, though, told Fox News on Friday that he has since received a medical review. Sekulow said Abedini was promised he'd be moved to a hospital outside the prison, though cautioned that the family would have to see that happen to believe it.

Sekulow, meanwhile, drew attention to a statement delivered Thursday in Geneva by Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, the U.S. representative on the U.N. Human Rights Council.

She said: "Iranian officials continue to restrict these communities' freedom to practice their religious beliefs free from harassment, threat or intimidation. Christian pastor Saeed Abedini's continuing harsh treatment at the hands of Iranian authorities exemplifies this trend.

"We repeat our call for the government of Iran to release Mr. Abedini, and others who are unjustly imprisoned, and to cease immediately its persecution of all religious minority communities. The United States also repeats its call for the government of Iran to provide without delay the urgent medical attention Mr. Abedini needs."

Donahoe came under criticism for neglecting to specifically address the case at a recent meeting in Geneva on Iran's human rights record. Donahoe instead broadly criticized "the Iranian government's ceaseless campaign of abuse" against those who dissent.

Abedini has been held in Iran's Evin Prison since September of last year and was sentenced to eight years in prison in January -- accused of evangelizing and threatening national security.

Naghmeh Abedini met Saeed in 2002 and they married two years later. Both had converted from Islam to Christianity -- Saeed became a U.S. citizen in 2010.

The Iranian government does not recognize his American citizenship, though it had enabled him to travel freely between both countries until this past summer, when he was pulled off a bus and placed under house arrest, according to his supporters.

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Kerry calls for 'immediate' release of American in Iran after letter detailing abuse

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Secretary of State John Kerry, in a first-ever statement from his office on the case of imprisoned Iranian-American Saeed Abedini, called Friday for Abedini to be “immediately released” and said he is “disturbed” by reports that he’s suffered physical and psychological abuse at the Iranian prison where he’s being held.

The statement was released by Kerry late Friday afternoon, and it came after the attorneys representing Abedini’s family released a letter the Christian pastor sent to his wife describing how he was beaten and denied medical treatment because he was seen as "unclean" because of his faith.

Kerry's call for the pastor’s release marks the first such formal statement on the case. The full statement from Kerry read as follows:

“I am deeply concerned about the fate of U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini, who has been detained for nearly six months and was sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran on charges related to his religious beliefs. I am disturbed by reports that Mr. Abedini has suffered physical and psychological abuse in prison, and that his condition has become increasingly dire. Such mistreatment violates international norms as well as Iran's own laws.  

“I am also troubled by the lack of due process in Mr. Abedini's case and Iran's continued refusal to allow consular access by Swiss authorities, the U.S. protecting power in Iran.  I welcome reports that Mr. Abedini was examined by a physician and expect Iranian authorities to honor their commitment to allow Mr. Abedini to receive treatment for these injuries from a specialist outside the prison. The best outcome for Mr. Abedini is that he be immediately released.”

Attorneys for Abedini's wife, Naghmeh Abedini, as well as lawmakers who have rallied on the prisoner’s behalf, have been urging Kerry to get directly involved. Republican lawmakers expressed dismay last Friday when the State Department did not provide a witness for a hearing at which Naghmeh Abedini testified.

Since that hearing, and the attention it received, the Obama administration has taken additional actions. State Department representatives met with Naghmeh Abedini last week, and the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday directly called for Abedini's release during a meeting in Geneva. An attorney for the family called that the "first pro-active statement by ... our administration" in the case.

State Department and White House officials have previously addressed Abedini’s case in public before, but only when questioned about it by reporters and others.

The Kerry statement late Friday marks a new level of escalation in the administration’s statements.

Hours earlier, a letter was released which was received by Saeed Abedini's family this week, though it may have been written weeks ago.

The letter from Saeed Abedini to his wife described in detail how he's been mistreated at Iran's notorious Evin Prison. He described how he saw his face for the first time in the mirror of an elevator.

"I said hi to the person staring back at me because I did not recognize myself," Abedini wrote. "My hair was shaven, under my eyes were swollen three times what they should have been, my face was swollen, and my beard had grown."

The pastor explained how, despite his situation, he is trying to focus on "forgiveness." He said he forgave the "interrogator who beat me" as well as the doctor who "did not give me the medication that I needed."

Abedini wrote that a nurse would not provide him with treatment because she said "in our religion we are not suppose to touch you, you are unclean." He wrote that he could not fall to sleep one night because of the pain, as he listened to the sound of "dirty sewer rats with their loud noises and screeches."

Attorney Jordan Sekulow, though, told Fox News on Friday that he has since received a medical review. Sekulow said Abedini was promised he'd be moved to a hospital outside the prison, though cautioned that the family would have to see that happen to believe it.

Sekulow, meanwhile, drew attention to a statement delivered Thursday in Geneva by Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, the U.S. representative on the U.N. Human Rights Council.

She said: "Iranian officials continue to restrict these communities' freedom to practice their religious beliefs free from harassment, threat or intimidation. Christian pastor Saeed Abedini's continuing harsh treatment at the hands of Iranian authorities exemplifies this trend.

"We repeat our call for the government of Iran to release Mr. Abedini, and others who are unjustly imprisoned, and to cease immediately its persecution of all religious minority communities. The United States also repeats its call for the government of Iran to provide without delay the urgent medical attention Mr. Abedini needs."

Donahoe came under criticism for neglecting to specifically address the case at a recent meeting in Geneva on Iran's human rights record. Donahoe instead broadly criticized "the Iranian government's ceaseless campaign of abuse" against those who dissent.

Abedini has been held in Iran's Evin Prison since September of last year and was sentenced to eight years in prison in January -- accused of evangelizing and threatening national security.

Naghmeh Abedini met Saeed in 2002 and they married two years later. Both had converted from Islam to Christianity -- Saeed became a U.S. citizen in 2010.

The Iranian government does not recognize his American citizenship, though it had enabled him to travel freely between both countries until this past summer, when he was pulled off a bus and placed under house arrest, according to his supporters.

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Fox News Poll: Voters say debt is immediate problem, nervous about economy

Fox News Poll: Voters say debt is immediate problem

American voters are nervous about the economy and -- unlike some leaders in Washington -- they think the country’s growing debt needs to be dealt with now.

That’s according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday.

About two-thirds of voters are feeling nervous about the economy -- more than twice the number that feels confident.  And not just Republicans are nervous (although most are).  Independents are three and a half times more likely to feel nervous than confident.  Democrats are a bit more likely to feel confident.

The good news: the 65 percent who say they are nervous is down from 70 percent who felt that way in 2010.

CLICK TO READ THE POLL

Both President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner recently said the country doesn’t have an immediate debt problem.  Nearly 7 voters in 10 say they are wrong.  Conversely, 27 percent agree the debt can be handled several years down the road.  

Voters are similarly at odds with Washington on the budget deficit.  Almost all think the federal government should be required to balance its budget (85 percent) and believe reducing the budget deficit is a worthy goal “in and of itself” (85 percent).

When asked about investment spending versus spending cuts, more voters say cutting spending to reduce the deficit should be a higher priority in Washington right now than increasing spending to create jobs (54-38 percent).

And by a 12 percentage-point margin, more voters say the across-the-board sequester cuts that went into effect on March 1 are a good thing rather than a bad thing (49-37 percent).  Some 59 percent of Republicans, 49 percent of independents and 39 percent of Democrats say the cuts are a good thing.  

The president warned the automatic spending cuts would be devastating, yet 48 percent think he deliberately exaggerated to try to scare people, while 45 percent think he truly believed that.  Most Republicans (74 percent), half of independents (51 percent) and even one in five Democrats (22 percent) say Obama intentionally overstated the effects of the sequester.

Public tours of the White House are one highly visible cut as school groups and other tourists bemoan the decision to stop tours of the “People’s House.”  A 63-percent majority of voters thinks the president could reinstate the tours if he wanted, including a slim 52-percent majority of Democrats.

Government spending is voters’ biggest beef when asked about paying taxes.  The largest number says “the way government spends taxes” is the thing that bothers them the most (43 percent), beating out the feeling the system is unfair (38 percent), the complexity of the system and forms (10 percent) and the amount they have to pay (8 percent).

The ongoing budget debate has taken its toll:  47 percent of voters are confident in Obama’s ability to fix the economy -- down from 51 percent a year ago (February 2012). Over half -- 52 percent -- are not confident, including 33 percent who are “not at all” confident.

And approval of Obama’s job performance remains below 50 percent.  It’s 47 percent in the new poll, which is mostly unchanged from 46 percent three weeks ago.  Fifty-one percent approved of the job Obama was doing right before his re-election (October 2012) -- that was the only time since May 2011 that he was above 50 percent approval.

Meanwhile, half of voters say Obama owes former President George W. Bush an apology for his comment during the 2008 campaign that Bush adding $4 trillion dollars to the debt was “unpatriotic,” given that Obama has added more than $6 trillion since he took office.

Capitol Hill continues to get negative reviews.  Most voters -- 79 percent -- disapprove of the job Congress is doing.  Just 14 percent approve.  Last month 77 percent of voters disapproved.

When asked to rate the lawmakers of each party separately, the consensus is both are doing a bad job, but Democrats less so.  Twenty-nine percent of voters approve of the job Congressional Democrats are doing, while even fewer -- 23 percent -- approve of Congressional Republicans.

President Obama met with some Republican lawmakers and dined with others as part of his so-called “charm offensive” on the budget negotiations.  In yet another sign of division among the electorate, 49 percent of voters believe Obama’s efforts to reach out to Republicans is better described as a “sincere effort” to reach compromise, while 44 percent say it’s a “public-relations” effort to get good press coverage.

Likewise, 45 percent think Obama’s outreach efforts will help with the negotiations, while 49 percent disagree.

When it comes to dealing with the deficit, 44 percent agree most with President Obama, while almost as many -- 41 percent -- agree most with Republicans in Congress.  Among independents, 36 percent agree most with Obama, 30 percent with Republicans and 22 percent say “neither.”

Rep. Paul Ryan, chair of the House Budget Committee, recently repeated his call to repeal the 2010 health care law known as Obamacare as a way to help balance the budget.

The poll finds about a third of voters agree with Ryan and would like to see the law repealed entirely (30 percent).  Another 25 percent would repeal parts of the law.  On the other side, 20 percent would keep the health care law as is and 20 percent would expand it.

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,002 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from March 17 to March 19.  The full poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

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Fox News Poll: Voters say debt is immediate problem, nervous about economy

Fox News Poll: Voters say debt is immediate problem

American voters are nervous about the economy and -- unlike some leaders in Washington -- they think the country’s growing debt needs to be dealt with now.

That’s according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday.

About two-thirds of voters are feeling nervous about the economy -- more than twice the number that feels confident.  And not just Republicans are nervous (although most are).  Independents are three and a half times more likely to feel nervous than confident.  Democrats are a bit more likely to feel confident.

The good news: the 65 percent who say they are nervous is down from 70 percent who felt that way in 2010.

CLICK TO READ THE POLL

Both President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner recently said the country doesn’t have an immediate debt problem.  Nearly 7 voters in 10 say they are wrong.  Conversely, 27 percent agree the debt can be handled several years down the road.  

Voters are similarly at odds with Washington on the budget deficit.  Almost all think the federal government should be required to balance its budget (85 percent) and believe reducing the budget deficit is a worthy goal “in and of itself” (85 percent).

When asked about investment spending versus spending cuts, more voters say cutting spending to reduce the deficit should be a higher priority in Washington right now than increasing spending to create jobs (54-38 percent).

And by a 12 percentage-point margin, more voters say the across-the-board sequester cuts that went into effect on March 1 are a good thing rather than a bad thing (49-37 percent).  Some 59 percent of Republicans, 49 percent of independents and 39 percent of Democrats say the cuts are a good thing.  

The president warned the automatic spending cuts would be devastating, yet 48 percent think he deliberately exaggerated to try to scare people, while 45 percent think he truly believed that.  Most Republicans (74 percent), half of independents (51 percent) and even one in five Democrats (22 percent) say Obama intentionally overstated the effects of the sequester.

Public tours of the White House are one highly visible cut as school groups and other tourists bemoan the decision to stop tours of the “People’s House.”  A 63-percent majority of voters thinks the president could reinstate the tours if he wanted, including a slim 52-percent majority of Democrats.

Government spending is voters’ biggest beef when asked about paying taxes.  The largest number says “the way government spends taxes” is the thing that bothers them the most (43 percent), beating out the feeling the system is unfair (38 percent), the complexity of the system and forms (10 percent) and the amount they have to pay (8 percent).

The ongoing budget debate has taken its toll:  47 percent of voters are confident in Obama’s ability to fix the economy -- down from 51 percent a year ago (February 2012). Over half -- 52 percent -- are not confident, including 33 percent who are “not at all” confident.

And approval of Obama’s job performance remains below 50 percent.  It’s 47 percent in the new poll, which is mostly unchanged from 46 percent three weeks ago.  Fifty-one percent approved of the job Obama was doing right before his re-election (October 2012) -- that was the only time since May 2011 that he was above 50 percent approval.

Meanwhile, half of voters say Obama owes former President George W. Bush an apology for his comment during the 2008 campaign that Bush adding $4 trillion dollars to the debt was “unpatriotic,” given that Obama has added more than $6 trillion since he took office.

Capitol Hill continues to get negative reviews.  Most voters -- 79 percent -- disapprove of the job Congress is doing.  Just 14 percent approve.  Last month 77 percent of voters disapproved.

When asked to rate the lawmakers of each party separately, the consensus is both are doing a bad job, but Democrats less so.  Twenty-nine percent of voters approve of the job Congressional Democrats are doing, while even fewer -- 23 percent -- approve of Congressional Republicans.

President Obama met with some Republican lawmakers and dined with others as part of his so-called “charm offensive” on the budget negotiations.  In yet another sign of division among the electorate, 49 percent of voters believe Obama’s efforts to reach out to Republicans is better described as a “sincere effort” to reach compromise, while 44 percent say it’s a “public-relations” effort to get good press coverage.

Likewise, 45 percent think Obama’s outreach efforts will help with the negotiations, while 49 percent disagree.

When it comes to dealing with the deficit, 44 percent agree most with President Obama, while almost as many -- 41 percent -- agree most with Republicans in Congress.  Among independents, 36 percent agree most with Obama, 30 percent with Republicans and 22 percent say “neither.”

Rep. Paul Ryan, chair of the House Budget Committee, recently repeated his call to repeal the 2010 health care law known as Obamacare as a way to help balance the budget.

The poll finds about a third of voters agree with Ryan and would like to see the law repealed entirely (30 percent).  Another 25 percent would repeal parts of the law.  On the other side, 20 percent would keep the health care law as is and 20 percent would expand it.

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,002 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from March 17 to March 19.  The full poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

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Obama meets with House Republicans, downplays 'immediate' debt crisis

President Obama met Wednesday with House Republicans in an apparent bid to find consensus on fiscal policy, even as he seemed to antagonize the other side by claiming there's no "immediate crisis in terms of debt." 

His statement would be sharply at odds with a core Republican principle that the debt must be addressed soon -- and which underpinned the cost-cutting GOP budget released Tuesday. The president also acknowledged, in an interview aired earlier in the day, that differences with the GOP might be "too wide" to bridge. 

Still, the president made the rare visit with House Republicans on Capitol Hill as part of what some are calling his charm offensive. The president is making a renewed effort to meet with Republican leaders and rank-and-file lawmakers amid overlapping budget battles and a series of deadlines on the horizon. 

The president is trying to find common ground with Congress in order to halt the sequester spending cuts, which have already taken effect -- as well as pass a stopgap budget bill in order to avert an end-of-the-month government shutdown, pass a bona fide budget for next year and once again raise the debt ceiling. 

A source in the room during the meeting with Republicans told Fox News that Obama told them he's looking for bipartisanship on a range of issues, including fiscal matters, immigration, gun regulation and foreign policy.

One skeptical source told Fox News, "we shall see." Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., though, later emerged saying the president "did himself some good."

Obama went into the meeting with his aides and allies ripping House Republicans for their newly introduced budget, which aims to balance the country's finances in 10 years. In an interview with ABC News, the president declared that there is no "immediate" debt crisis and that "for the next 10 years, it's going to be in a sustainable place." 

That message is likely to rile Republicans, who cite widespread economic warnings in saying the debt -- which is nearing $17 trillion -- must be addressed. 

"We are addressing the most predictable debt crisis in this country's history," Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said Tuesday while introducing his budget plan. 

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that "everybody" recognizes there is a "long-term debt challenge." 

And he said the president "believes that bipartisan cooperation is possible." 

Senate Democrats were unveiling their budget proposal Wednesday afternoon, in response to the House Republican plan introduced Tuesday. 

The Republican plan touts longstanding party proposals to cut funding for domestic programs, repeal Obama's health care reform law and overhaul the Medicare health care program for the elderly. It would balance the federal budget in 10 years with steep spending cuts alone -- a nonstarter with Democrats. 

"Ultimately, it may be that the differences are just too wide," Obama said in the interview broadcast Wednesday. 

If Republicans insist that their only solution is to avoid tax hikes and "gut" entitlement programs, "then we're probably not going to be able to get a deal," he said. 

Obama has continued reaching out to lawmakers in hopes that he can somehow reach a "grand bargain" that reins in deficit spending without hurting the economy and stops Washington from lurching from one self-induced fiscal crisis to another. 

The fence-mending campaign started with an unusual dinner Obama hosted last week at a hotel near the White House for a dozen Senate Republicans and continues Wednesday with his meeting with House Republicans. 

Obama, who also will meet with Senate Republicans and House Democrats on Thursday, has shown a willingness to reduce spending on big entitlement programs but has not agreed to the kinds of changes Ryan and other Republicans have sought. 

Republicans, however, object to any more tax increases, insisting that Obama got his way with tax hikes on top earners in the New Year's Day deal that averted the "fiscal cliff." That last-minute deal prevented automatic tax hikes for all federal income tax payers, but merely delayed $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts. 

The parties were unable to reach a compromise on a deficit-cutting plan, so the automatic spending cuts began taking effect March 1 and are set to continue through the decade. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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