ACE today released a statement calling for the safe release of Xiyue Wang by the government of Iran.
Wang, a graduate student in Princeton University’s Department of
History, two years ago today was detained and unjustly imprisoned in
Tehran while in Iran solely for the purpose of studying Farsi and doing
scholarly research in connection with his dissertation on 19th and early
20th century Eurasian history.
“Even one more day is too long for Mr. Wang to remain separated from
his wife and young son,” the ACE statement reads. “We reiterate our plea
for the prompt and safe release of Xiyue Wang and call for him to be
allowed to return home to reunite with his family and to complete his
degree.”
Today’s statement noted that in July 2017, ACE and 32 other higher education organizations declared:
“Mr. Wang’s imprisonment can only have a chilling effect on historical
research and scholarly exchange in Iran and throughout the world, and
this, in turn, can only lead to diminished understanding and greater
mistrust, to the detriment of all."
Last December, ACE President Ted Mitchell sent a letter (PDF 63.05KB) to President Trump urging the president to consider an appeal to Iran to free the Princeton graduate student.
Xiyue Wang’s story recently was chronicled by The New York Times Magazine,
which noted that his wife, Hua Qu, “is fighting to save her husband—one
of at least seven U.S. captives in the Islamic Republic being used as
pawns in a nearly 40-year secret history of hostage taking.”