Family Of American Imprisoned Abroad Says The USA 'Abandoned' Him While Working To Free Brittney Griner

The family of Zack Shahin feels like the United States has left him to rot in Dubai.

The American citizen has been in a UAE prison since 2008 on charges of fraud, embezzlement and other financial crimes after he resigned from Deyaar, according to Fox News. His family claims the charges are false, and his medical situation is reportedly deteriorating.

"He is rotting. If you can imagine a man is dying because he's rotting … they're cutting bits of Zack away, and he's dying trying to fight the infection," British activist Martin Lonergan told Fox News. He visited Zack while in prison.

"They completely abandoned us . . . they completely pushed us to the side. Maybe we’re not newsworthy enough for them — we’re not famous, we’re just an ordinary family — and they just left us," Zack's son Ramy Shahin added to Fox News. He also feels the government chose to prioritize Brittney Griner over his dad.

The government worked hard to get Brittney Griner released while Zack Shahin remains in prison.

"My dad's situation was an inconvenience to the U.S. When they were working with the United Arab Emirates and Russia to negotiate Brittney Griner’s release, I feel like they thought, ‘Let's not mention Zack Shahin while we're working to get her out, because it might not go right with them,'" Ramy explained to Fox News.

Griner was released from Russian custody after nearly a year behind bars and a show trial nobody believed was legitimate.

The lack of movement for Zach Shahin while trading an arms dealer for a WNBA player has clearly frustrated the Shahin family.

"I think the Biden administration and the State Department should look at our case and treat it with a little more respect because we haven't even been given any of that," Ramy expressed during his interview with Fox News.

"We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. We take seriously our commitment to assist U.S. citizens abroad and are providing all appropriate assistance," a State Department spokesperson told Fox News when asked for comment on the situation.

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.