Working to Free Wang

Published online Oct. 23, 2017

I am really sorry for Xiyue Wang and his family. The grad student is now in an Iranian prison for the trumped-up charge of espionage (On the Campus, Sept. 13). All he was trying to do was some research for his graduate thesis. I am sorry, but I truly don’t understand why he would even enter that country [Iran]. I understand that it was part of his research, but to go to a place where they hate us and they clearly don’t think like normal people was not a smart thing to do. This is similar to the story of the fellow who was “hiking” in that region and met the same fate. Other than Israel, no Middle Eastern country is safe; as we know, Israel has had its share of problems, but at least you know you won’t get arrested for espionage. I would hope that the State Department and the University can together free this man and that he can return safely to his family. Perhaps he might consider a different topic for his thesis.