Omid Kokabi Released from Prison on 'Conditional' Terms

Saeed Khalili, the lawyer for Omid Kokabi, has announced the 'conditional release' of his client from prison. On Tuesday, September 8, Mr. Khalili told the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) that 'with the approval of the Head of the Judiciary and the ruling of Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals, the remainder of Omid Kokabi's prison sentence has been subject to conditional release, and therefore he will not return to prison.' The lawyer of this atomic physics PhD student with a specialization in lasers at the University of Texas at Austin also stated that his client has been on medical leave since being discharged from the hospital three months ago. Omid Kokabi, now 34 years old, came to Iran from the United States in 2010 to visit his family but was arrested at the airport in February of that year while attempting to leave Iran. In a letter published from prison, Mr. Kokabi stated that he was arrested and imprisoned due to his refusal to cooperate with security agencies regarding Iran's nuclear program. After several months, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of 'contacts with a hostile government' and 'acquiring unlawful property.' While imprisoned, this physics PhD student developed kidney cancer and had one of his kidneys removed after being transferred to the hospital. During Kokabi's imprisonment, human rights activists inside Iran and international organizations and figures around the world made extensive efforts for his release. Notably, 18 Nobel Prize winners in Physics wrote a letter to Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, urging him to order the release of this distinguished student. Additionally, over 16,000 civil activists called for Kokabi's freedom, and 330 Sharif University graduates urged President Rouhani to review Kokabi's judicial process. Amnesty International stated that Kokabi's return to prison would endanger his life, and he was granted medical leave on a bail of 500 million tomans. Amnesty International also criticized Iranian officials for playing with the health of political prisoners.