RantCrush Top 5: July 17, 2017

Xiyue Wang, a U.S. citizen and a graduate student studying history at Princeton University, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran for spying. The Chinese-born student was in Iran to do research for his Ph.D. dissertation and was arrested last summer. No details have been released and it’s unclear when a trial took place, but he was accused of “gathering information.” According to an Iranian news outlet, this sentence can be appealed.

Princeton officials and family members have been working to get Wang released. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said they are aware of the case, but didn’t offer any detailed information. But the official did call for Iran to release all unjustly held citizens, and said, “The Iranian regime continues to detain U.S. citizens and other foreigners on fabricated national-security-related changes. The safety and security of U.S. citizens remains a top priority.”

This is nuts! Xiyue Wang is a friend. We did all our coursework together. Hes a kind family man, great scholar & furthest thing from a spy. https://t.co/NXcBXJppI3

— Anna Lind-Guzik (@alindguzik) July 16, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.