Omid Kokabee
Omid Kokabee
Omid Kokabee released from prison on bail
Imprisoned Iranian physicist granted temporary leave to recover from kidney removal
May 26, 2016
ICFO Alumnus Omid Kokabee, most recently a graduate student at the University of Texas, was convicted in 2011 by the Islamic Revolutionary Court with a 10-year prison sentence for communicating with a hostile government. Omid has now been imprisoned for over five years. In 2014, he was awarded both the Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Andrei Sakharov Prize 2014 from the American Physical Society.
Omid became increasingly ill during his incarceration and after years in which prison authorities denied him a proper treatment for his kidney illness, he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
After numerous appeals from various human rights organizations, including a petition from the Scholars at Risk Network and a letter signed by more than 10 Nobel Laureates, Omid went through a kidney-removal surgery at the end of April and has now been granted a brief leave on bail to recover from his operation.
Relatives and friends posted the bail for Omid and are hopeful that the Iranian authorities will allow an extension of his leave until he has fully recovered.
Omid became increasingly ill during his incarceration and after years in which prison authorities denied him a proper treatment for his kidney illness, he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
After numerous appeals from various human rights organizations, including a petition from the Scholars at Risk Network and a letter signed by more than 10 Nobel Laureates, Omid went through a kidney-removal surgery at the end of April and has now been granted a brief leave on bail to recover from his operation.
Relatives and friends posted the bail for Omid and are hopeful that the Iranian authorities will allow an extension of his leave until he has fully recovered.