TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian graduate student at the University of Texas went on trial Tuesday in Tehran on charges of having relations with a hostile country and receiving illegitimate funds, his lawyer said.
Omid Kokabee pleaded not guilty to both charges during the trial's opening session, said the attorney, Saeed Khalili. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Iranian authorities arrested the 29-year-old Kokabee in February at Tehran's international airport as he was about to get on a flight to return to the U.S. after a short vacation in Iran.
Kokabee was studying optics in the physics department of the University of Texas and had previously specialized in lasers, one of his academic advisers said. None of his studies were linked to nuclear applications, said John Keto, chair of the graduate studies program at the University of Texas at Austin's department of physics.
Iran's nuclear program is a major source of tension between Tehran and Washington. The U.S. and other countries accuse Iran of making all the necessary preparations to build a nuclear arsenal. Iran denies that and says its nuclear work has only peaceful aims, like power generation.
The student's lawyer told The Associated Press that he was not been permitted to speak with Kokabee at Tuesday's trial session.
"He denied all charges. The entire session was allocated to (procedural) he... >>>
Person | About | Day |
---|---|---|
نسرین ستوده: زندانی روز | Dec 04 | |
Saeed Malekpour: Prisoner of the day | Lawyer says death sentence suspended | Dec 03 |
Majid Tavakoli: Prisoner of the day | Iterview with mother | Dec 02 |
احسان نراقی: جامعه شناس و نویسنده ۱۳۰۵-۱۳۹۱ | Dec 02 | |
Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day | 46 days on hunger strike | Dec 01 |
Nasrin Sotoudeh: Graffiti | In Barcelona | Nov 30 |
گوهر عشقی: مادر ستار بهشتی | Nov 30 | |
Abdollah Momeni: Prisoner of the day | Activist denied leave and family visits for 1.5 years | Nov 30 |
محمد کلالی: یکی از حمله کنندگان به سفارت ایران در برلین | Nov 29 | |
Habibollah Golparipour: Prisoner of the day | Kurdish Activist on Death Row | Nov 28 |
Just thinkley about it. Tbis
by Simorgh5555 on Tue Oct 04, 2011 04:20 PM PDTJust thinkley about it. Tbis young man wbo has spent the last five years studying laser and an expert in physics can possibly be put to death by hanging (God forbid) by a regime which kills and executes for the hell of it.