A court in Iran has rejected an appeal by the two Iranian HIV researchers charged with collaborating with the United States to overthrow the government.
Physicians Kamiar Alaei and his brother Arash Alaei were sentenced to prison terms of three and six years, respectively, in December 2008 (see Nature 457, 517; 2009). The court rejected their appeal on 18 March but the news became public only last week.
The brothers' trial and convictions have been widely condemned by human-rights groups. Their lawyer, Masoud Shafie, intends to make a final appeal by 7 May to Iran's judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi.
A 'Global Day of Action' in support of the Alaeis will be held on 12 May and is likely to include vigils at Iranian embassies worldwide.
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Jailed Iranian AIDS doctors lose court appeal. Nature 458, 958 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/458958d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/458958d
