Iranian TV Broadcasts Interview Of Imprisoned Princeton Scholar

PRINCETON, NJ — A Princeton University scholar who has been imprisoned in Iran on charges of espionage was the subject of a video that aired on Iranian broadcast television Sunday night. Xiyue Wang is interviewed in the video, which was also uploaded on YouTube and can be seen below. While much of the video is not in English, portions of Wang’s interview are, with subtitles.

“About Iran in that regard, the more knowledge the United States possesses about Iran, the better for its policy toward Iran,” Wang says in the video. “There’s no doubt about it. It’s quite obvious.”

Wang also said there have been efforts to facilitate educational communication between Princeton University and Iranian research and higher educational institutions.

Later, he said, “So when I went back to the U.S. in March, I spoke to the American Consul’s person in charge of programs abroad,” but the rest of his sentence wasn’t included in the six and a half minute report.

The report aired on state-run IRIB2 Sunday night, according to Planet Princeton.

IRBI2 is one of 32 channels in Iran, all of which fall under the umbrella of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. It was established after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and must adhere to “Islamic criteria and the best interests of the country,” according to The Civil Code of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Supreme Leader appoints the director of the organization, and the head of the judiciary branch, the president, the Islamic Consultative Assembly oversee its operations.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump unveiled new sanctions against Iran, and said he wouldn't certify the Obama-era nuclear arms deal with the country. He hinted that the United States may withdraw from the deal completely unless Congress fixes it. Congress is scheduled to take up the issue next month.

Wang was arrested while in Iran last year. He went to Iran as a doctoral candidate in the university's Department of History, studying Eurasian languages and regional governance practices across multiple Eurasian countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the university maintains.

Wang is accused of of scanning 4,500 documents and attempting to access confidential information in Tehran. He has been arrested, tried and convicted on charges of espionage. He was was sentenced in July to 10 years in prison.

A month later, Iran denied Wang's appeal. In September, graduate students and members of the Princeton University community held a vigil in which Wang’s wife, Hua Qu, spoke.

Qu and their son are Chinese citizens who have waited patiently while Wang was investigated, prosecuted and tried under the Iranian judicial system. She has released two statements on the situation.

The attached image of Xiyue Wang was provided by the family and released via Princeton University