Vigil held for jailed Princeton PhD student

A vigil has been held at Princeton University for a PhD student wrongly imprisoned in Iran on charges of spying.

The protest at the Ivy League university follows the first anniversary of the arrest of Xiyue Wang in August 2016 as he visited Iran to conduct research for his dissertation on 19th century Eurasia. Mr Wang, who had described his research plans to Iranian authorities before travelling, including the libraries and archives he wished to visit, had intended to study historical documents and learn Farsi during his trip.

Mr Wang, a naturalised US citizen, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in April – a verdict that was later upheld on appeal in August. Friends say the father-of-one's health has deteriorated rapidly since his detention a year ago.

The vigil at Princeton’s East Pyne courtyard on 15 September heard from Mr Wang’s wife Hua Qu and his PhD supervisor Stephen Kotkin, as well as fellow Princeton PhD students and friends of the 37-year-old scholar, who previously attended Harvard University and the University of Washington.

In a statement released last month, Princeton condemned the  “conviction and 10-year prison sentence for espionage that [Mr Wang] did not attempt or commit.”

“We are distressed that his appeal was denied, and that he remains unjustly imprisoned,” it added, stating that the university “continues to hope that the Iranian authorities will allow this genuine scholar, devoted husband, and caring father to return to his doctoral studies and his family.”

“We will continue to do everything we can to be supportive of Mr. Wang and his family, and of efforts to seek his safe return home.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com