Omid Kokabee to Undergo Surgery for Kidney Cancer

Omid Kokabee, the physicist serving a 10-year sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison, will undergo surgery tomorrow, April 20, to remove his right kidney after it was reported that he has contracted kidney cancer.

Kokabee’s family say that prison officials have denied him proper medical care, and have ignored Kokabee’s request for treatment. He first complained of kidney problems in 2013.

Both the family and human rights groups have called for Kokabee’s immediate release. In October 2014, 33 Nobel Physics Prize laureates wrote to Iran's Supreme Leader, appealing to Khamenei to “exhibit compassion and allow him to return to his studies” and pursue his academic career.

“Omid’s kidney cancer is entirely the fault of prison authorities,” says Eugene M. Chudnovsky, co-chair of the Committee of Concerned Scientists and Professor at City University of New York Graduate School. “The prison has poor water quality and overcrowded cells with limited access to toilets. He started complaining about kidney problems three years ago.”

Omid Kokabee was arrested on January 30, 2011 while trying to board a flight to the United States after visiting family. At the time of his arrest, he had been working in the US for several years. He was charged with “communicating with a hostile government” and “illegal earnings.” It is believed he is also being punished for refusing to work on Iran’s nuclear program.

According to his family, Omid Kokabee will undergo radical nephrectomy — surgery to remove his right kidney — at 8am Tehran time.

In September 2015, prison guards barred Kokabee’s family from visiting him, and denied him reading materials and a reading light after international campaign groups and IranWire reported on prison conditions and his deteriorating health.

International groups, including the Committee of Concerned Scientists and Amnesty International, have appealed to President Rouhani’s administration to honor its commitment to scientific advancement and release Kokabee with immediate effect.