SPIE Member Omid Kokabee , a physics student at Texas University imprisoned in Iran since February, faced the first hearing of his trial this morning, Nature has reported.
Kokabee denied all charges against him, during a one-and-a-half-hour-long hearing closed to the public, according to Kokabee's lawyer, Saeed Khalili. However, Khalili's defence presentation was postponed for lack of time to a date still to be announced.
SPIE, the International Commission for Optics, and others scientific organizations have signed open letters to the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, requesting clemency for Kokabee. They join an online petition for Kokabee's release.
Read the Nature News blog post for more information.
Read the SPIE press release for additional background.