By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — Kamran Hekmati didn’t have concerns about going to Iran earlier this year for what was supposed to be a brief trip.

Hekmati, who is Iranian-American and Jewish, had traveled there numerous times with family, and he isn’t a political person, family members told CNN.

But the 70-year old was arrested and sentenced to prison time by Iranian authorities for visiting Israel 13 years ago for his son’s bar mitzvah, according to family members who spoke to CNN.

They asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation against Hekmati.

Hekmati is suffering from bladder cancer and is currently detained in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. Although an appeal has been filed, his family is seriously concerned about his health.

The United States does not have a diplomatic presence on the ground in Iran, and Switzerland which represents US interests there, has not been allowed access to him, his family said.

Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents Hekmati’s state, called on the State Department to “urgently work toward the release” of his constituent. The New York Democrat said Hekmati should be released “immediately on humanitarian grounds.”

According to family members, Hekmati was stopped at the airport when he sought to return home to New York in May. Authorities seized his passport and searched his phone and social media accounts. In the subsequent months, Hekmati was blocked from leaving the country and interrogated.

In July, around the time of the so-called “Twelve Day War” between Israel and Iran, Hekmati was arrested, family members said.

He was sentenced, without legal representation, to four years in prison under a law prohibiting Iranian passport holders from traveling to Israel. According to his family, which has since hired a lawyer, the punishment under the law was changed a few weeks later, and his sentence was reduced to two years.

Family members said he had pictures of the trip on his Facebook.

Although Hekmati is a US citizen, Iran does not recognize dual nationality. Tehran has a long history of imprisoning Americans and the US State Department has warned that “anyone with a U.S. connection, including dual U.S.-Iranian nationals, is at significant risk of questioning, arrest, and detention in?Iran.”

Asked about Hekmati’s case, a State Department spokesperson said they were unable to comment on individual cases due to “safety and privacy considerations.”

“We?continue to engage with allies and partners on this issue and on cases of unjust detention in Iran in general,” they said.

Suozzi, in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, described Hekmati as “a respected and active member of our community.”

“This case has deeply alarmed my constituents, particularly within the large Persian Jewish community on Long Island, and among his colleagues in the government of the Village of Great Neck Estates where he serves on the Zoning Board of Appeals,” he wrote.

Family members described him as a loving father, grandfather, and husband.

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