Scientific American:

Omid Kokabee, a physicist convicted of espionage in Iran, has been granted freedom on parole, his lawyer announced on 29 August. It could be the end of a five-year-long struggle for the Iranian scientist, who has said all along that he was punished for refusing to help a covert nuclear-weapon programme.

Kokabee, who is now 34 years old, was working on his PhD thesis in Spain and in the United States when was jailed in Tehran in early 2011 while attempting to fly back to the US after visiting his native country. He was later convicted for “illegal earnings” and cooperation with a hostile government, accusations which are tantamount to spying.

Kokabee maintained his innocence and later stated that he had been persecuted for refusing to cooperate with a nuclear military programme in Iran. He had expertise with a type of laser that can be used for isotope separation, a step in the production of enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.

Last April, Kokabee was moved to hospital to have a kidney removed due to cancer. He was then granted a temporary medical leave and released after his friends posted a bail for him of 5 billion Iranian rials (US$165,000). But that status had to be renewed every two weeks...

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