330 Sharif University Graduates Urge Rouhani to Review the Judicial Process of Omid Kokabi

330 graduates of Sharif University of Technology have written a letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, demanding "immediate medical attention" for Omid Kokabi and a "review of the judicial process" that has been ongoing for this elite physics student. The letter, published by the Khabar Online website on Saturday, May 18, states that events like those experienced by Mr. Kokabi will lead to "despair and hopelessness among the youth, students, and professors who intend to serve their country, causing them serious doubts about traveling to Iran." The graduates of Sharif University have warned that the "negative consequences" of this situation will "affect the industrial, scientific, and academic community of the country." The Khabar Online website has published the names of the 330 graduates of Sharif University who signed this letter. Omid Kokabi was a dual student of mechanical engineering and physics at Sharif University in Iran who went to the United States for higher education. He was a PhD student in physics with a focus on lasers at the University of Texas when he traveled to Iran in 2009 to visit his family but was arrested upon returning to the U.S. Mr. Kokabi was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges such as "collaboration with foreign governments" and "earning illicit income." In a letter from inside Evin Prison, he stated that he was pressured by the security agencies of the Islamic Republic to cooperate on a nuclear project and became a victim of his refusal to cooperate. While serving his prison sentence, Omid Kokabi developed kidney cancer, and doctors had to completely remove one of his kidneys. Mr. Kokabi's lawyer stated after the operation that his client's general health is good, but it is still unclear whether the cancer has spread to other parts of his body. He has strongly criticized the authorities for neglecting Omid Kokabi, who has suffered serious pain while being ignored for a long time in prison. Omid Kokabi is currently 31 years old.