Xiyue Wang is a Chinese American who was imprisoned in Iran from 2016 to 2019 after being accused of espionage. Iran released Wang in a prisoner swap between the two countries, with the US freeing Iranian scientist Massoud Soleimani. US law enforcement arrested the Iranian stem cell scientist in fall 2018 upon his landing in Chicago. A PhD candidate in the Department of History at Princeton University, Wang was arrested in Iran on 8 August, 2016 on charges of espionage while he was conducting research on the Qajar dynasty. It was alleged that he sought access to confidential areas of Tehran libraries, paid thousands of dollars for access, and recorded 4,500 pages of digital documents. In July 2017, he was sentenced to ten years in prison by Iran. In response to the sentencing, the United States Department of State released a press statement saying "The Iranian regime continues to detain US citizens and other foreigners on fabricated national-security related charges."
Wang received $8,500 from the Princeton history department to go to Iran, as well as no more than $8,800 from the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies. Wang disappeared in August 2016. His wife Hua Qu was notified of his detainment by a local Iranian lawyer. In prison, Wang faced harsh conditions and did not even have room to straighten his back. According to Wang's wife, he was not warned that American citizens should not travel to Iran. In December 2019, it was announced that Wang would be released in a prisoner swap after three years in prison.
Free Xiyue Wang movement
In July 2017 the American Council on Education and 31 other higher education and research associations issued a statement calling for Wang's release. More than 1,000 researchers from 25 countries have signed a petition also calling for his safe return. On September 21, 2018, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that "there was no legal basis for the arrest and detention of Mr. Wang. His deprivation of liberty is arbitrary." On February 15, 2019, Princeton held a Free Xiyue Wang day. On 7 December 2019, Iran announced the release of Wang in exchange for an Iranian scientist, Masoud Soleimani, held by the United States.
Personal life
Wang is married to Hua Qu, and they have a son born in 2013. His wife and son are Chinese citizens, but a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry has stated that Wang himself does not hold Chinese citizenship. Wang's mother has American citizenship. In 2001 he moved to the US with her. He became a naturalized citizen in 2009.
