5 ms·

Iran sentences Princeton graduate student to 10 years for espionage

33 points by stablemap 9y ago

castle-bravo 9y ago
If he was a spy, would a 10-year sentence be unjust?
- jasonkostempski 9y ago
  Yes
  - geff82 9y ago
    Yet it is interesting that it is not 20 years or death penality. Sounds like an offer to talk.
  - meepmorp 9y ago
    Why?
    - jasonkostempski 9y ago
      Just throwing in my vote for the answer to a subjective question. Why should i have to justify me choice? But if I must :) Someone takes action against a group of bad people; bad people catch him and punish him; is that justice? I say no. Doesn't matter that the bad people call themselves a government.
- aphextron 9y ago
  >If he was a spy, would a 10-year sentence be unjust? I imagine the sentencing is just a formality. Iran has no habeas corpus. They can, and will, hold him as long as they wish.
geff82 9y ago
The Iran traveling expert in me says: we can't tell the truth from this article. Let's say: the threat of US spies is real for Iran as too much of its history has somehow been staged or influenced by the British or the Americans. Those are not conspiracy theories, but history facts. That is why Americans attract the interest of the government there (truth be said, 99,9% of Americans traveling to Iran never have problems). It would suprise me if the US would not try to send spies there, on the other hand I also doubt that every accused spy there is indeed one.
age_bronze 9y ago
Pay walled articles are not welcome here. Find somewhere else to advertise your paywalled content. And the subject is hardly relevant for hacker news for something that even needs paywall.
- guilhas 9y ago
  It is not pay walled for me in UK
- stablemap 9y ago
  The story is on what I consider the boundary but I thought it interesting to academics. I don't disagree with flagging it, really -- the Post has already sent my checks.
- andymoe 9y ago
  Complaining about them is off topic. Read the FAQs please.
- parent5446 9y ago
  I didn't realize you were one of the HN moderators. Would you mind putting this ban on paywalled articles into the FAQ?
guilhas 9y ago
Interesting, and funny, talk on a documentary about Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtELk8S3dhU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtELk8S3dhU
lostmsu 9y ago
As a US citizen, do you want a US spy to get 10 years in Iranian prison? Considering principle of uniformity, we should reduce punishment for spying significantly. Why does it have to be prison, when it could be deportation + property confiscation? Spying country should be punished, not that particular individual.

33 points by stablemap 9y ago

castle-bravo 9y ago

If he was a spy, would a 10-year sentence be unjust?

jasonkostempski 9y ago
Yes
- geff82 9y ago
  Yet it is interesting that it is not 20 years or death penality. Sounds like an offer to talk.
- meepmorp 9y ago
  Why?
  - jasonkostempski 9y ago
    Just throwing in my vote for the answer to a subjective question. Why should i have to justify me choice? But if I must :) Someone takes action against a group of bad people; bad people catch him and punish him; is that justice? I say no. Doesn't matter that the bad people call themselves a government.
aphextron 9y ago
>If he was a spy, would a 10-year sentence be unjust? I imagine the sentencing is just a formality. Iran has no habeas corpus. They can, and will, hold him as long as they wish.

geff82 9y ago

The Iran traveling expert in me says: we can't tell the truth from this article. Let's say: the threat of US spies is real for Iran as too much of its history has somehow been staged or influenced by the British or the Americans. Those are not conspiracy theories, but history facts. That is why Americans attract the interest of the government there (truth be said, 99,9% of Americans traveling to Iran never have problems). It would suprise me if the US would not try to send spies there, on the other hand I also doubt that every accused spy there is indeed one.

age_bronze 9y ago

Pay walled articles are not welcome here. Find somewhere else to advertise your paywalled content. And the subject is hardly relevant for hacker news for something that even needs paywall.

guilhas 9y ago
It is not pay walled for me in UK
stablemap 9y ago
The story is on what I consider the boundary but I thought it interesting to academics. I don't disagree with flagging it, really -- the Post has already sent my checks.
andymoe 9y ago
Complaining about them is off topic. Read the FAQs please.
parent5446 9y ago
I didn't realize you were one of the HN moderators. Would you mind putting this ban on paywalled articles into the FAQ?

guilhas 9y ago

Interesting, and funny, talk on a documentary about Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtELk8S3dhU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtELk8S3dhU

lostmsu 9y ago

As a US citizen, do you want a US spy to get 10 years in Iranian prison? Considering principle of uniformity, we should reduce punishment for spying significantly. Why does it have to be prison, when it could be deportation + property confiscation? Spying country should be punished, not that particular individual.