A fair trial for Omid Kokabee

Herbert L. Berk

June 18, 2012

A recent article in The Daily Texan discussed the concern of the fairness of the proceedings in the trial of Omid Kokabee who, when he was a graduate student in the UT Department of Physics, was detained by the Iranian government in Jan., 2011, as he was attempting to return back to UT after a winter break visit to his family in Iran. In May 2012 he was convicted and sentenced to ten years imprisonment for collaboration with enemies of Iran. His trial, which took place simultaneously with more than 10 other defendants, was extremely rapid. Kokabee was the only defendant to not admit guilt and Kokabee did not have access to legal help. As an attempt to obtain a fair trial for Kokabee, a petition directed to the authorities in Iran has been placed online here. I urge Daily Texan readers to support this call for a fair re-trial of Omid Kokabee.

— Herbert L. Berk, Professor, Department of Physics