US secures release of American hostage in Iran; Xiu Wang on way back to US
According to US media reports, on Saturday, December 6, 2019, "Xiu Wang", a US citizen, was transferred from Tehran to Zurich on a Swiss government plane. In Zurich, Brian Hook personally welcomed him.
Zhiyu Wang, a doctoral student at Princeton University, traveled to Iran in January 2016 to research the Qajar period, but was arrested by the Islamic Republic of Iran that summer.
The Islamic Republic of Iran sentenced Mr. Wang to 10 years in prison on charges of espionage under the guise of academic research. Mr. Wang’s family says he was in Iran doing research for his doctoral thesis.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the return of Xiu Wang on Sunday morning, writing that "we will not rest until all Americans detained in Iran are released."
Hua Kuo, wife of Zhiyu Wang, also tweeted, announcing the news of his release and thanking everyone who helped free the American hostage.
Several Americans are still imprisoned in Iran. On December 4, families of American and dual-citizen prisoners called for pressure on the Islamic Republic to release their relatives.
Also, on November 4, two Republican senators, Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz, presented a bill to the US Senate that, if passed, would implement sanctions against foreign governments that take American citizens hostage.
On the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Republic's kidnapping of American diplomats, on November 4 of this year, Mike Pompeo met with the families of former and current hostages in Iran and said at the ceremony that the United States demands the release and return of all hostages.
Source: Voice of America
