A US Navy veteran who was jailed in Iran for nearly two years sued the Iranian government on Thursday for $1 billion, alleging that he was kidnapped, held hostage and tortured.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
The federal lawsuit describes in unsparing detail the "prolonged and continuous" abuse that Michael White says he suffered behind bars, including being beaten and punched, whipped on his feet, deprived of food and drink, and pressured to falsely confess that he was a spy for the US government.
The 31-page complaint traces White's travel to Iran, saying he was lured there in the summer of 2018 by a woman he considered his girlfriend so that he could be kidnapped by Iranian government agents and put in prison. He was charged with insulting Iran's Supreme Leader and cooperating with the US government against Iran − charges the lawsuit says were fabricated − and sentenced without a trial to 10 years in prison.
The suit also alleges that White's imprisonment was an effort by Iran to extract concessions from the Trump administration and to "manufacture additional leverage for diplomacy" in the aftermath of Iran's withdrawal in 2018 from a landmark nuclear deal with the US. Diplomats are currently trying to salvage a deal that would bring Iran back into compliance with limits on its nuclear program.
It was not immediately clear if Iran planned to formally respond to the complaint, or if it had a lawyer who might enter an appearance in the case. If Iran does not respond to the allegations, a judge could enter a default judgment on White's behalf, enabling White to collect damages from a fund set up for victims of acts of state-sponsored terrorism.
