In New York Wednesday, Amnesty International and other human rights groups sponsored a vigil calling for the immediate release of detained Iranian-Americans by Tehran. In May, the government of Iran arrested four Iranian-Americans on accusations of harming national security.

More than a hundred protesters rallied in the humid mid-day heat outside the United Nations, chanting for the release of prominent U.S. scholar Haleh Esfandiari from the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran.

Esfandiari’s husband, Shaul Bakhash, was among the protesters.

“We know that interrogations at Evin Prison are not nice nor gentle. She needs medication. She needs medical attention. I think it’s unconscionable that the authorities in Evin Prison keep her not only in prison but don’t allow family visits or legal representation,” he said\.

To read the full report by Sean Maroney, please click here