Letter Signed by 16,000 Political and Civil Activists Demanding Freedom of Omid Kokabee
A large group of Iranian political and civil activists, artists, and journalists have appealed to Ban Ki-moon in a letter requesting that he use “all possible tools” to secure the freedom of Omid Kokabee, a young scientist whose life is being threatened by kidney cancer.
16,000 signatories, including prominent figures such as Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nasrin Sotoudeh, human rights lawyer and activist, Mohammad Maleki, former president of the University of Tehran, Jafar Panahi, filmmaker, and many other well-known names, have written to Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, urging him to intervene on behalf of Omid Kokabee’s freedom and to employ all possible tools in this regard.
In their letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General, they wrote: “Omid Kokabee’s physical condition is such that he should no longer remain in prison, and any delay in his release could cause irreversible damage to his health. The Islamic Republic of Iran must be forced to free Omid, and his family should be allowed to decide where to continue their son’s treatment. Our goal as signatories of this letter is to draw your attention to Omid Kokabee’s case. We urge that all possible tools be used to secure Omid’s release from prison.”
This group, whose signatures come from Iran and around the world, have emphasized that “the main reason for Omid Kokabee’s imprisonment is his refusal to cooperate with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s military projects. He has been convicted on baseless charges such as connections with foreign universities and scientific institutions.”
Regarding Omid Kokabee, they explained: “He is an outstanding physics student with no history of political activity, and he is now struggling with serious psychological and physical damage.”
The letter also describes the circumstances of Omid Kokabee’s arrest. He returned to Iran in 2011 to visit his family, but was detained at the airport on January 11 of that year while attempting to leave the country, and was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Omid Kokabee is a physicist and a doctoral student in atomic physics with a focus on laser research at the University of Texas. Human rights activists say the only reason for his arrest and imprisonment is his refusal to cooperate with the Iranian government’s military projects. The letter’s authors stated in this regard: “He has been convicted on baseless charges such as connections with foreign universities and scientific institutions. Instead of compromising the ethical principles underlying his refusal to use his scientific knowledge for destructive purposes, he took a powerful and heroic stance by resisting pressure and even enduring imprisonment. Many institutions have shown their respect for Omid Kokabee by awarding him human rights prizes.”
In recent days, Iranian social media has been flooded with images of Omid Kokabee lying in a hospital bed in distress, with one of his kidneys removed. These images sparked numerous reactions. The letter states: “Omid Kokabee suffered from acute kidney disease for two years, while prison officials prevented him from accessing advanced medical treatment. We faced shocking news in recent days: Omid’s lawyer announced that, unfortunately, a type of kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma) has been diagnosed in his body, resulting from a malignant tumor in his right kidney. Omid urgently underwent nephrectomy surgery and his right kidney was removed. The Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for Omid’s health and must be held accountable for any harm that befalls him.”
The letter’s authors have expressed concern elsewhere that, given Omid Kokabee’s scientific status, “there may be a hidden will within the structure of political power that he should not survive outside of prison.”
Source: Deutsche Welle
