A complete of 18 state attorneys common, together with New York Legal professional Normal Leticia James, urged President Joe Biden to declare Binance compliance officer Tigran Gambaryan a hostage of the Nigerian authorities in a letter on Friday. Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, can be a former legislation enforcement officer, having served as a Particular Agent with the Inside Income Service (IRS).
Gambaryan has been detained in Nigeria since February 2024. The attorneys common “expressed grave concern for the well being and well-being” of Gambaryan, who’s being held “unlawfully,” beneath “probably life-threatening circumstances,” the letter acknowledged.
Designating Gambaryan as a hostage beneath the Robert Levinson Hostage Restoration and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act would unlock sources that would expedite the method of his restoration. Gambaryan’s return can be overseen by the Hostage Restoration Fusion Cell, which assesses and tracks unlawful detainment of U.S. nationals.
The attorneys common imagine that declaring Gambaryan a hostage would additionally “apply extra diplomatic stress to make sure his speedy launch.”
The principle concern of the attorneys common is the deteriorating well being of Gambaryan. In response to the letter, Gambaryan’s life is in “speedy hazard.” Gambaryan has been denied therapy for malaria and pneumonia throughout his imprisonment, and his “untreated herniated disc has left him motionless.”
The attorneys common imagine that except there may be swift motion, Gambaryan’s detention may flip right into a “tragedy.”
Arrested with out trigger
The attorneys common declare that Gambaryan was illegally detained with out correct trigger in order that he might be used as leverage within the Nigerian authorities’s dispute with Binance. The letter acknowledged:
“This blatant misuse of energy is nothing lower than extortion, and it have to be met with the complete weight of the U.S. Authorities’s affect, notably given America’s monetary and political help of the present political regime in Nigeria.”
Nigerian officers invited Gambaryan earlier this yr to handle allegations about Binance’s involvement in manipulating the Nigerian forex. Nevertheless, upon his arrival, Gambaryan was arrested with out trigger, his passport was confiscated and he was held with out formal expenses.
The attorneys common accused Nigerian authorities of violating Gambaryan’s primary rights, together with no entry to medical and dietary wants. Gambaryan has spent months in Kuje Jail, which is understood for housing violent extremists from Boko Haram and ISIS.
The letter comes the identical day that the Nigerian authorities failed to supply Gambaryan at a scheduled court docket continuing. In response to a press launch, the Nigerian authorities was both unable to unwilling to clarify to the choose the place Gambaryan was, aside from stating that he was in custody.
