Doctoral Student Imprisoned in Iran Reportedly Has Kidney Cancer

The Scholars at Risk Network and the Committee of Concerned Scientists have renewed their calls for the release of Omid Kokabee, a doctoral student of physics, from Iran’s Evin Prison in response to reports that Kokabee has been diagnosed with kidney cancer. Kokabee, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, is serving a 10-year sentence on charges of communicating with a hostile government. Amnesty International considers him a "prisoner of conscience held solely for his refusal to work on military projects in Iran and as a result of spurious charges related to his legitimate scholastic ties with academic institutions outside of Iran."