Vigil For Princeton Student Imprisoned In Iran Set For Friday

PRINCETON, NJ — Graduate students and members of the Princeton University community will hold a vigil to show their support for the Princeton scholar who has been imprisoned in Iran for the last 13 months, the university announced on Tuesday.

The vigil for Xiyue Wang will be held on Friday night, Sept. 15, in East Pyne Courtyard at Princeton University, 7 p.m. Wang’s wife, Hua Qu, will speak, as will Wang’s Ph.D. adviser Professor Stephen Kotkin, fellow students and friends.

Princeton students and other members of the university community decided to organize a vigil to show their support for their friend and colleague after Iran denied Wang’s appeal last month.

Wang 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.

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 past year has been extremely difficult for our family. We constantly worry about Xiyue’s health and well-being as he remains behind bars in a foreign country away from his family and loved ones,” Qu said in her most recent statement. “This time has been particularly difficult for my toddler son, who misses his father very much, but is too young to fully comprehend why he is not able to see, hold, or play with his father. It is heartbreaking to hear my son constantly ask about his father’s return home.

“Xiyue deserves to be freed. We hope the Iranian officials can release him immediately so he can resume his studies at home and so that our family will be together again.”

The attached image of Xiyue Wang’s family was previously provided by Princeton University