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Iranian scientist sentenced to death

An Iranian judge has sentenced an Iranian scientist to execution in 20 days.

The scientist, who appears to have mostly worked in Sweden, was convicted of spying for Israel. He in turn says he was railroaded because he refused to spy on his colleagues for the Iranian intelligence service.

What baffles me here is that he was arrested when returned to Iran for a short visit. He must have known that going back was going to put him in great risk. Why do it?

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


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3 comments

  • Jim Davis

    He must have known that going back was going to put him in great risk.

    Are you sure? Is there a lot of critical reporting about Iran in Sweden? Even if there is he may not have believed it. And even if he did believe it he may have arrogantly thought that Iran only punishes “troublemakers”, not upstanding citizens like himself.

    This is similar to victims of the Soviet purges in the ’30s who thought it was all a misunderstanding and that once Stalin was informed about what was going on everything would get sorted out.

  • Cotour

    To not return if you believe that all is good would be an even bigger problem.

    Any way you look at it being in that position is a very dangerous position to be no matter what you decide to do. Is he not a key man and he is being made an example of to instill fear in others? Is he a traitor to Iran as it is formed now? Is he a patriot to a new Iran? Does a superior want to sleep with his wife? Who knows?

    Its a no win situation, I suspect similar to being a N. Korean scientist, you probably live in constant fear no matter what.

  • Dick Eagleson

    If he has family still in Iran, he could well have returned to save them by taking the chop himself. Not exactly an unprecedented thing in human history. Sometimes it even works.

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