August 16, 2007 -- “This week marked the 100th day of detention for Iranian-American scholars Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, head of the Middle East Progam at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and development consultant Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh.
They have been imprisoned in Tehran since May. Two other Iranian-Americans are also being unjustly targeted – journalist Parnaz Azima cannot leave the country and Ali Shakeri, founder and board member of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, is being detained in a clear violation of human rights. These four individuals have sought to increase understanding between the Iranian people and the international community, and their continued detention is a blight upon the Iranian regime.
It is unconscionable that Dr. Esfandiari – a grandmother who was in Iran to visit her ailing mother – has been detained for more than three months on baseless charges, and that Dr. Tajbakhsh and Mr. Shakeri are also being detained without just cause. Dr. Tajbakhsh, who received his doctorate in urban planning from Columbia University and was a sociology professor at The New School for Social Research, had worked on various projects—including helping the Iranian people after a devastating earthquake—with the full knowledge of the Iranian government. In addition, Ms. Azima is being prevented from leaving the country, after coming to Iran to visit her elderly and ill mother. The four Iranian-Americans must be allowed without delay to return to their families and homes.
I call upon the Iranian government to release Dr. Esfandiari, Ms.Azima, Dr. Tajbakhsh, and Mr. Shakeri without delay, and I urge the Bush Administration to make their release a priority for our government. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to draw attention to the plight of these individuals, and ensure that they are released unharmed.”
Source: Senator Hillary Clinton
