Omid Kokabee's mother wrote a letter to the Ayatollah pleading for the release of her son after serving almost five years in prison without a furlough, or a pardon. Despite the ruling of the Supreme Court of the land in his favor, he remains in Evin Prison with no indication of a release. He is being denied books and the time to read them, his health is failing and from all reports it appears he ... Continue Reading>>
Omid Kokabee’s Birthday
CCS would like to wish a happy 33rd birthday to Omid Kokabee. This is the 5th birthday that he has spent in Evin Prison in Iran. For further information please read this article in Iranwire. Related articles Omid Kokabee Marks Birthday in Jail (en.iranwire.com) Free Omid Facebook page Kokabee Archive (concernedscientists.org) Guards Punish Jailed Scientist for Media Reports ... Continue Reading>>
Iranian Appeals Court Upholds
Kokabee’s Ten-year Sentence
In a surprising setback for efforts to free imprisoned Iranian physicist Omid Kokabee an appeals court in Iran rejected th opinion of its supreme court and reaffirmed his ten-year prison sentence. There was no explanation of this ruling and it is unclear whether Kokabee will be able to appeal. We will continue to advocate for Kokabee in spite of this disappointment. Related articles Young ... Continue Reading>>
Kokabee Wins AAAS Award
As Petitions Delivered to Iran
The same day as human rights activists delivered 14,000 petition signatures, including 31 by Nobel Physics Laureates, for Omid Kokabee's release, the American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded him the prize for Freedom and Scientific Responsibility. Representatives of the human rights organization, including CCS co-chair Eugene Chudnovsky, also met with Iranian officials at the ... Continue Reading>>
His Jail in Teheran is a School,
Says Kokabee’s Poem for Family
On the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Omid Kokabee sent his family a poem he wrote in jail. We are posting it here with the family's permission. Kokabee, a graduate student at Texas University/Austin, is in Evin prison since 2011 for allegedly "communicating with an enemy government" and "illegal earnings." CCS and many others protested his conviction as lacking due process. In his ... Continue Reading>>
Amnesty Calls Kokabee Prisoner of Conscience. CCS Tells Iran, Calling for His Immediate Release
Persuaded that Omid Kokabee has been jailed and convicted because of his refusal to work on military projects, Amnesty International has called for his release as a "Prisoner of Conscience." CCS renews its call for release of the Iranian graduate student at Texas University/Austin, whose espionage trial lacked due process and whose violation of human rights has been of concern to students and ... Continue Reading>>
New Appeal for Omid Kokabee Details Specific Human Rights Law Violations
The Committee of Concerned Scientists endorses a new appeal on behalf of Texas University physics student Omid Kokabee, who is imprisoned in Teheran. CCS and many other human rights organizations have been advocating for his release since his arrest in 2011. The letters to Iranian and international officials (see below) were drafted by Ellen Hutchison, a student at Texas University/Austin, with ... Continue Reading>>