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Iranian Physics Student From UT Gets 10 Years In Jail For Spying

Posted by Soulskill on from the darn-it-we-just-got-canada-taken-care-of dept.

scibri writes "Omid Kokabee, a laser physics graduate student from the University of Texas who has been imprisoned in Tehran for the past 15 months, was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Sunday for allegedly conspiring with foreign countries against Iran. Kokabee was arrested in February 2011 while on a trip home, and charged with 'communicating with a hostile government' (i.e. Israel) and 'illegal earnings.' He has consistently denied the charges, and refused to speak at his trial, where no evidence against him was presented. Several international science groups, including the American Physical Society, have spoken up in his defense, and an online petition has been set up in support."

5 of 253 comments (clear)

  1. Nothing new here by s.petry · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sadly, this is a very common theme with the Iranian Government. Usually this is to get the person on board with them. They get out when they are on-board, and often family members are jailed to be sure that they stay on-board.

    As long as crap is in power, crap like this happens. How many brilliant people did Stalin and Hitler kill? So many that we have no way of knowing.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    1. Re:Nothing new here by Bigby · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It sounds like the trial-less imprisonment here in the US. He's a "terrorist" and doesn't deserve a (fair) trial.

    2. Re:Nothing new here by crazyjj · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is so far away from the US that it's laughable

      Agreed. In the U.S. he'd never get a trial.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    3. Re:Nothing new here by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I believe you're mistaken in calling the parent a "sheltered fool".

      We've suspended Habeus Corpus for anyone branded a terrorist. We've suspended the 4th Amendment any time the NSA wants to wiretap all phone traffic. We torture people. We have secret evidence in trials, which defense attorneys can't see. And National Security Letters can make it a crime to even talk about what the government is up to, even if it's illegal.

      So we have a government capable of *exactly* what Iran did to this guy.

      And if you're arguing that America isn't as bad because we don't to it as often, there are two points to be made. First, Bigby never talked about how the relative frequency of this kind of trial in the U.S. vs. Iran; just that the U.S. has done these things at least once in recent history. Secondly, given that our our handling of alleged terrorism is secret, none of us has real information on how often the U.S. conducts "trials" of the sort Iran did with this guy.

    4. Re:Nothing new here by DeadCatX2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What's the difference between a trial with no evidence, and a trial with classified evidence that the defense is not allowed to see or contest?

      What's the difference if you're held in prison for "indefinite detention", and you have never been charged, and you cannot file a habeas corpus petition to determine if the government even has any evidence to justify imprisoning you? At least in this case, there was a trial. That's more than some folks at Gitmo get.

      --
      :(){ :|:& };: