« Hekmati, who was born and raised in the US, was first imprisoned in August 2011 after he purportedly confessed to high-level espionage for the US government. According to the confession, Hekmati's company, Kuma Reality Games, was working with the CIA to release "games with the aim of manipulating public opinion in the Middle East. The goal of the company in question was to convince the people of Iran and the people of the entire world that whatever the US does in other countries is a good measure."

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The US State Department called the charges against Hekmati "categorically false" and complained that he had been denied due process in Iranian courts. Hekmati's family has also vigorously denied the substance of the confession, saying Amir was just in Iran to visit his grandmother. "Amir did not engage in any acts of spying, or 'fighting against God,' as the convicting judge has claimed in his sentence," according to a message from the family on FreeAmir.org. "Amir is not a criminal. His very life is being exploited for political gain."

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Hekmati, a former US Marine sergeant, did contract work developing Department of Defense training programs before moving on to Kuma, a developer focused on making "playable recreations of real events in modern combat" and "combining headline news with console-quality gameplay to place you on the frontlines of today's battlefields," according to its website. The company has drawn controversy in the past amid accusations that it exploits news of real-world conflict for entertainment value and a quick buck.

Hekmati is one of four American prisoners released from Iran over the weekend, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, after months of behind the scenes diplomatic negotiations. As part of the deal, the US is releasing seven Iranians who had been charged with or convicted of circumventing of economic and trade sanctions with Iran.