Xiyue Wang

The native form of this personal name is Wang Xiyue. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Xiyue Wang
Wang hugging United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Ed McMullen in December 2019
Born (1980-12-31) December 31, 1980 (age 43)
Beijing, China
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Washington
Harvard University
Princeton University

Xiyue Wang (Chinese: 王夕越; pinyin: Wáng Xīyuè; born December 31, 1980) is a Chinese-American academic[1] who was imprisoned in Iran from 2016 to 2019 after being accused of espionage.[2][3]

Iran released Wang in a prisoner swap between the two countries, with the U.S. freeing Iranian scientist Massoud Soleimani.[4] U.S. law enforcement arrested the Iranian stem cell scientist in Fall 2018 upon his landing in Chicago for violating the sanctions against Iran. 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.[3] It was alleged that he had sought access to confidential areas of Tehran libraries, paid thousands of dollars for access, and recorded 4,500 pages of digital documents.[5][6]

In July 2017, he was sentenced to ten years in prison by Iran.[3][7] 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."[3][7]

In January 2021, Wang joined the American Enterprise Institute as a Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow.[8]

  1. ^ "Frequently asked questions about Xiyue Wang". Princeton University. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  2. ^ Qu, Hua (2019-05-24). "My husband Xiyue Wang is unjustly imprisoned in Iran". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  3. ^ a b c d Cunningham, Erin; Morello, Carol (July 16, 2017). "Iran sentences Princeton graduate student to 10 years for espionage, report says". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  4. ^ Eliza Mackintosh; Maija-Liisa Ehlinger; Jennifer Hansler (7 December 2019). "American student held prisoner since 2016 released in US-Iran prisoner swap". CNN. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  5. ^ Adam Schreck (18 July 2017). "SCHOLAR DEFENDS CHINESE-AMERICAN RESEARCHER JAILED IN IRAN". Dubai: Macau Daily Times.
  6. ^ Gambrell, Jon (26 November 2017). "Iran TV airs stories targeting 2 detained dual nationals". Associated Press. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  7. ^ a b Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (July 16, 2017). "Iran sentences Chinese-born American to 10 years in jail on spying charges". The Guardian. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  8. ^ "Release: Wang Xiyue joins AEI as a Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow". American Enterprise Institute - AEI. Retrieved 2021-04-10.