Mr. Speaker, this week is Iran Accountability Week, a week to address the Iranian threat.
I am proud to be a part of the Iranian political prisoner advocacy program. This year, I am advocating for Dr. Omid Kokabee, a 33-year-old Iranian experimental laser physicist. He has attended university in Iran, Spain and Texas.
During a family visit to Iran in 2011, he was arrested and has been in detention in Tehran's notorious Evin prison ever since. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of the unsubstantiated charges of communicating with a hostile government, meaning the Americans, and receiving illegitimate funds. The so-called illegitimate funds are actually the normal stipend given to doctoral students at the University of Texas.
Dr. Kokabee has publicly stated that he is being persecuted for repeatedly refusing to work on Iranian military projects and help fulfill Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Dr. Kokabee is yet another example of the travesty of justice in Iran, and his imprisonment is a flagrant abuse of human rights. I call on President Rouhani to exercise clemency, suspend his sentence and immediately release Dr. Kokabee.