Dr. Sirous Asgari, 59, professor at the Faculty of Science and Materials at Sharif University of Technology, who has been held in a US detention center on false charges since March 10, 2020, returned home today with the efforts of Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had said that the scientist would return to the country this week.
Stating that Asgari has been acquitted of false charges, Zarif said that Iran's foreign ministry is working hard to return him home.
Dr. Asgari, a materials science and engineering professor was acquitted in November on federal charges of stealing trade secrets related to his academic work with a university in Ohio. Although the US government lost its case on all charges, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has kept him indefinitely detained since the trial. He spoke out in March about the unsanitary and “inhumane” conditions in detention.
Asgari’s story sparked international outrage after he spoke about his fears of Covid-19 spreading inside crowded Ice facilities with substandard cleaning practices and a lack of supplies.
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