In February, the American Medical Association sent a letter to Secretary of State Clinton regarding the Alaeis case:

The American Medical Association has become aware of a disturbing situation regarding two Iranian physicians, and we wish to bring your attention to this matter.

The AMA gave Secretary Clinton background on the case then went on to say:

We strongly urge that discussions of human rights, justice and respect for the medical profession (and the Alaei brothers specifically) must be part of any opening dialogue with Iran.

Jeffrey Feltman, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Near East Affairs at the State Department, sent a response, writing:

The Department of State has been closely following the doctors’ cases and coordinating with human rights organizations who are actively working to advance their cause. The Department released a press statement in December marking the six month anniversary of their detainment. In February, the Department published the Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Iran, which discusses the case of the Alaei brothers in detail. In addition, the United States highlighted concerns about the lack of due process in Iran at the Human Rights Council’s Tenth Session in Geneva. I assure you that we will continue to monitor the welfare of the Alaei brothers and advocate on their behalf, both publicly and privately, until their release is secured, as we do in the cases of other prisoners of conscience in Iran and elsewhere.

The American Medical Association continued to advocate on behalf of the Alaeis. The group sent another letter to Secretary Clinton on June 2:

We appreciate the actions the Department of State has taken on behalf of Kamiar and Arash Alaei. We remain deeply troubled, however, by subsequent developments in the case and ongoing uncertainty about the welfare of these dedicated physicians who have worked to reduce the spread of HIV in their country.

The AMA asked Secretary Clinton to continue to push for the brothers’ release and reiterated its commitment to helping in any way possible.

Having the support of the AMA in our advocacy will bolster our message with US policy makers who sucessfully pressured Iran to release Roxana Saberi.  We are continuing our call for Drs Kamiar and Arash Alaei to be released under the same principles of Islamic kindness and mercy.  If you have not already, please sign our petition and forward it to 6 friends and colleagues.  Please also consider sending a letter to the Iranian Embassy in your country calling for their release.  With a united global movement, the Drs Alaei will be able to resume thier lifesaving HIV/AIDS work soon.