After being released from Iran as part of a prisoner swap, a group of Americans got to meet Monday with family and supporters who spent months and years following their cases from afar and advocating for their release.
Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian met with senior editors from the newspaper at the German hospital where he is recovering before going back to the U.S.
Rezaian said he had limited human interaction during his 18 months in prison, including spending 49 days in solitary confinement.
"I want people to know that physically, I'm feeling good," he said. "I know people are eager to hear from me, but I want to process this for some time."
Rezaian was convicted of espionage charges that both the Post and U.S. government called absurd.
'Touch and go'
He said his last few hours in Iranian custody were among the most anxious, calling his departure from Iran and handover to Swiss officials as "touch and go until the last minute," fearing something would go wrong.
Former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati met with his sisters, brother-in-law and Michigan Congressman Daniel Kildee at the German hospital Monday.
Hekmati, an Iranian-American, was arrested in 2011 on spying charges while visiting his grandmother.
Kildee Tweeted pictures of a smiling Hekmati, who thanked U.S. President Barack Obama for making his reunion with family possible.
Medical exams
The congressman said in an interview on CNN that Hekmati would continue undergoing medical exams in the coming days and discuss with officials the process of returning home.
American pastor Saeed Abedini, who was jailed in 2012 for spreading Christianity, is also undergoing treatment at the German hospital.
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