Iran Hostage Compensation Included in Omnibus Legislation

Statement

Congressman Gerry Connolly announced that compensation for victims and families of the 1979 Hostage Crisis was included in the final Omnibus spending package.

"For 444 days, the hostages endured brutal physical and mental abuse at the hands of their captors, and their families agonized over their fate," said Rep. Connolly. "After more than three decades, compensation for the victims of the Iran Hostage Crisis and their families is long past due. I hope this action will help bring closure to the victims and their families."

The Omnibus bill includes language that would provide the following compensation levels:

Hostages: 10,000/day the person was held hostage

Spouses: $600,000 lump sum

Children: $600,000 lump sum

The 11th District of Virginia is home to at least one former hostage as well several children and spouses of hostages who would qualify for the compensation.

To secure the release of the hostages, the Carter Administration agreed to the Algiers Accords, which barred the hostages from bringing claims against the government of Iran for its role in orchestrating the embassy takeover. The hostages remain the only victims of state-sponsored terrorism who cannot seek a judgment in U.S. courts.

Earlier this year, Rep. Connolly joined Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) to introduce The Justice for Former American Hostages in Iran Act of 2015. This legislation would establish a compensation fund for the American hostages held in Iran in 1979with a compensation structure largely mirrored in the text of the Omnibus legislation.

Source