UAlbany student charged with plotting a "velvet revolution" in his home country
A UAlbany public health student being detained in Iran has been charged with plotting a "velvet revolution."
Iranian-born Kamiar Alaei is a doctoral student at the UAlbany School of Public Health. He and his brother Arash Alaei are both physicians. They've been described as "heroes" working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in their home country. Here in the US, Kamiar had been working with Centro Civico in Amsterdam and had applied for funding to do research in that city.
The brothers were arrested on a visit home in June, though the Iranian government didn't charge them with anything until this week. According to updates on a Facebook page set up by concerned friends and colleagues they've finally been able to see their family, but their lawyers still have no access to them.
photo: The Asia Society
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.
... said James Cronen about Morning Blend: Troy signs lease for new city hall