As you most likely are aware, Mr. Eskandar (Alex) Khamoushpour, an Iranian national, has been arrested in Phoenix Arizona on Sept. 13, 2001. A 234-count indictment accuses him of transferring money in and out of Iran! That is his “crime!” In reality, like many of us, he is entangled in the web of political fighting between governments of Iran and U.S., exacerbated by the tragic events of Sept. 11th. Those of us who have used his very necessary service remember how courteous, accurate, and speedy it was. Those of us who know him personally have many stories to tell about his generosity and kindness. Now he needs our help. He is in jail and the judge refuses any bails. His accounts are frozen so he can't hire a lawyer to get him out; a catch 22!

Helping a deserved fellow human is very noble. But this is also a statement by the Iranian-American community. We must have realized that democracy does not mean “guarantee” of our rights, but an opportunity to fight for these rights. By standing up for him and his due rights we make sure that the next time they will think twice before arresting someone for similar “crimes.”

We have opened an account to raise money in order to hire a lawyer for him. He believes all the charges are baseless and he will clear his name AND pay back all the money loaned to the following account.

Bank of America in Arizona
Eskandar Khamoushpour defense Fund
Saving Acct # 004678527306
Routing # 541860107

Please help! Every dollar counts. Thank you.

Payvand.com's Note:
Sehhaty Exchange has been advertising with us since August 1999. During this time, we have never received a complaint about Sehhaty or Mr. Khamoushpour. As the following article shows, Sehhaty has been operating openly for many years. This clearly indicates that Sehhaty, like other Iranian exchange businesses, were being tolerated. Also, most likely the majority of the clients of Sehhaty have been a) the Iranian-Americans who have transferred money to Iran for mostly humanitarian purposes, and b) the Iranians immigrating to US who have transferred their savings here. Neither of these groups have engaged in transactions that have benefited the Iranian government, and so they have not broken the spirit of the sanctions. It can also be no coincidence that Mr. Khamoushpour was arrested right after September 11 terrorist attacks. Mr. Khamoushpour clearly seems to be a victim of the current circumstances, and he deserves our financial and moral support. Our hope is that Mr. Khamoushpour will receive a fair trial and be well represented so he can defend himself and clear his name. We will keep you informed of future developments in this case.

Related Article:

Iranian immigrant indicted -The Arizona Republic