August 22, 2007 -- Washington, DC – “I welcome the news that Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, has been released from prison in Iran, following four months of unjust detention. I commend Dr. Esfandiari for her courage during this trying time and my thoughts remain with her and her family. Yet while this development is promising, the Iranian government should heed the calls heard around the world to immediately allow Dr. Esfandiari to return to the United States.
I continue to call on the Iranian government to also free the three other Iranian-Americans currently being detained in the country. Development consultant Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh and Ali Shakeri, founder and board member of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, are still unjustly imprisoned, while journalist Parnaz Azima cannot leave the country.
All four of these individuals have worked to foster understanding between the Iranian people and the international community, and this egregious violation of their rights remains a blight upon the Iranian regime.
Dr. Esfandiari’s release from prison represents a step forward, and I urge the Iranian government to continue this progress and allow all four individuals to return to their homes unharmed. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to secure their safety and freedom.”
