“One year has passed since Dr. Mojtaba Atarodi, one of the internationally renowned professors of Sharif University of Technology, was arrested on bogus charges by US police and Department of Justice,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Atarodi was detained in December 2011 after stepping off a plane in Los Angeles. He has been reportedly charged with violating US export law by purchasing lab equipment.
The Foreign Ministry urged the US administration to take necessary measures to secure the release of Atarodi given his “physical condition and innocence.”
The 54-year-old scientist is a microchip expert and associate professor at the prestigious Sharif University of Technology. He is the author or coauthor of dozens of scientific papers dealing with microchip technology.
The US court requested USD480,000 to change Atarodi's arrest order to house arrest as he suffers from severe cardiac disease.
The Campaign for Defending Iranian Expatriates' Rights has launched a petition for his release which was signed by the President of Sharif University of Technology Dr. Reza Roosta-Azad earlier on Wednesday.
press tv/281
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has called on the US administration to take immediate measures to release Iranian associate professor Mojtaba Atarodi who is under house arrest in the US.
News ID 183641
