Iran Sentences Another American to 10 Years in Prison on Espionage Charges

The spokesperson for Iran's judiciary announced a 10-year prison sentence for an American citizen on charges of 'espionage.' The individual, identified as Zi Yu Wang and born in China, was reportedly arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated in a press conference that this 'dual national' entered Iran with 'specific influence' and was directly supported by the United States. Ejei did not provide further details but promised more information once the verdict is finalized. Hours later, the judiciary-affiliated news agency, Mizan, reported that Wang was arrested on August 9, 2016, while attempting to leave Iran. He is accused of 'paying several thousand dollars' to create a 'digital archive of 4,500 pages of state documents.' The report did not clarify whether these documents were classified or ordinary, nor why collecting them constituted a crime. Analysis of the report suggests that the claimed 'documents' pertain to Iranian libraries, which are not considered confidential. The 37-year-old American is a history student at Princeton University and is fluent in Persian. The judiciary's news agency also indicated that Wang was associated with the 'Shirmin and Bijan Moussavizadeh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies' at Princeton, which supports teaching and research in all areas of Iranian and Persian Gulf studies. Iranian security agencies and conservative media often label many research projects about Iran as commissioned by U.S. security organizations. Wang's arrest comes amid the imprisonment of several Iranian-American citizens and Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen residing in the U.S. On May 7 of this year, several members of the U.S. House of Representatives urged the Trump administration to take specific actions for the 'unconditional release' of Iranian-American prisoners in Iran. They noted that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has 'taken hostages' including Siamak Namazi, Baqer Namazi, Karan Vafadari, and a fourth citizen whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, as well as Afrin Niyazari and Nizar Zakka, who hold permanent residency in the U.S. They also called on countries like the UK, France, Germany, and Canada, whose citizens are imprisoned in Iran, to join efforts for the release of their nationals. Additionally, the spokesperson addressed the issue of alleged plagiarism in President Rouhani's doctoral degree, stating that a 'private complainant' must exist for the matter to be investigated, and it would fall under the jurisdiction of the clerical court. Conservative media have previously reported on 'plagiarism' in Rouhani's doctoral thesis. Some students from the University of Iowa claimed that part of Chapter Four of Rouhani's thesis constituted 'scientific theft' from a book by Ali Akbar Kalantari, a member of the Assembly of Experts. Rouhani had previously stated during the presidential election that he did not 'give land to obtain a degree' and earned his doctorate from a reputable international university. Hassan Amin, a former professor at Glasgow Caledonian University and Rouhani's thesis advisor, denied the reports of 'copying' in Rouhani's thesis. On May 13, 2017, just before the presidential election, Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi, head of the Education Commission of the Parliament, announced that Ali Akbar Kalantari had filed a complaint, and the Education Commission formed a committee to address the issue. On the same day, Mohammad Farhadi, Minister of Science in Rouhani's government, told reporters that 'the complainant's understanding was incorrect because Dr. Rouhani referenced the original source from which he drew.'