Haleh Esfandiari
Encyclopedia
Haleh Esfandiari (b. March 3, 1940) is an Iranian American
academic and the Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
in Washington, D.C.
Her areas of expertise include Middle Eastern women's issues, contemporary Iranian intellectual currents and politics, and democratic developments in the Middle East
. In 2007 she was detained, in solitary confinement
, in Iran
's Evin Prison
for more than 110 days, between May 8 and August 21.
. She holds dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship (she had retained her Iranian passport to facilitate visiting her elderly mother in Tehran).
Esfandiari is married to Shaul Bakhash
, a Jewish
Iranian American professor of history and Persian studies at George Mason University
. She met Bakhash in the early 1960s, when both were reporters at the Iranian newspaper Kayhan
. They have a daughter, Haleh Bakhash (b. ca. 1967) and two granddaughters.
.
In the U.S., Esfandiari has served as a Fellow at the Wilson Center from 1995–1996, and, previously, as an educator in the Near Eastern Studies department of Princeton University
from 1980–1994, teaching courses in Persian literature and language. She has also worked as a journalist and has been a frequent lecturer on current Iranian affairs. She has served as director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center for nearly ten years. She was also involved with the Wilson Center's collaboration with the RAND Corporation's Initiative for Middle Eastern Youth.
Esfandiari was a fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy
in its first year of fellowship program in 1995.
She is known to have been close to Faiza (Faezeh) Hashemi Rafsanjani
, a former MP and a daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
, according to The New York Times
. Esfandiari is a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation
Grant.
's Policy Watch Special Forum in an article marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. In April 2005, she contributed a piece to the Foreign Policy Magazine that is published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
titled "Iranian Woman, Please Stand Up".
In September 2009, under the HarperPress imprint, HarperCollins
published her book, My Prison, My Home: One Woman's Story of Captivity in Iran.
, Iran
, whom she had visited approximately twice per year over the past decade. During this incident, the men threatened to kill her; then they stole her baggage and both her U.S. and Iranian passports. Consequently, she was not permitted to leave the country. When she applied for new travel documents, she was instead barred from leaving Iran and interrogated over a period of six weeks by authorities from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence
. These interrogations, which totaled approximately fifty hours, focused primarily on her work at the Wilson Center. During this time, she was allowed to return home each day, but "was pressured to make a false confession or to falsely implicate the Wilson Center in activities in which it had no part". On January 18, 2007, an interrogator and three other men (one holding a video camera) broke into her mother's apartment and entered Esfandiari's bedroom while she was taking an afternoon nap; they then took her laptop computer and other items.
In early May, she was asked again to confess to having taken part in anti-government activities, which she refused to do. On May 7, 2007, she was told to report to the Ministry of Intelligence
. Upon her arrival there the next morning, she was taken into custody and driven to Tehran's Evin Prison
. She was one of four dual U.S.-Iranian citizen to be detained by the Iranian government under similar circumstances in 2007, the others being Radio Farda
correspondent Parnaz Azima, Ali Shakeri
of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California at Irvine, and Kian Tajbakhsh
, an Iranian American consultant for the Open Society Institute
. A former FBI agent, Robert Levinson
, has been missing in Iran since he disappeared in March 2007.
During her detention at Evin Prison, Esfandiari was allowed to make one- or two-minute telephone calls to her mother most evenings, but was not permitted to have contact with her other family members. On May 15, 2007, Iranian Judiciary
spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi confirmed that Esfandiari was being investigated for crimes against national security and that her case was being handled by the Intelligence Ministry. On May 21, 2007, Iran's state TV announced that the government of Iran had charged Esfandiari of seeking to topple that nation's ruling Islamic establishment. The Ministry of Intelligence said that Esfandiari had admitted during interrogation that her institute was funded by the Soros Foundation
. On May 29, 2007, one day after a rare high-level meeting between Iranian and U.S. officials, Iran announced that its judiciary had brought charges of "endangering national security through propaganda against the system and espionage for foreigners" against Esfandiari.
, sent letters to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's ambassador to the United Nations
, Javad Zarif, in which he asked for assistance in obtaining Esfandiari's release. Ahmadinejad did not reply, but Zarif "indicated that he wanted to be helpful".
Following reports of her detention on May 9, 2007, both Bakhash and the Wilson Center gave statements to the press regarding the situation. Iran did not immediately confirm that Esfandiari is being detained. The U.S. State Department called for her release. On May 11, 2007, U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton
and Barack Obama
and three congresspeople, (Senators Barbara Mikulski
, Benjamin L. Cardin, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen
called for Esfandiari's release. At that time two campaigns demanding the release of Esfandiari with petitions were initiated by the American Islamic Congress
and the Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
.
On May 15, 2007, U.S. Senators Gordon H. Smith and Hillary Clinton introduced a resolution (S. RES. 199) calling for Esfandiari's immediate and unconditional release. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
also called for Esfandiari's immediate release. On May 17, 2007, Iranian human rights activist and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi
, who has known Esfandiari for many years, called for Esfandiari's immediate release and announced that she would be acting as one of Esfandiari's attorneys, along with Abdolfatah Soltani. The prosecutor of the Islamic Revolutionary Court
, however, prevented Esfandiari from access to counsel, refused to provide detailed information regarding the charges against her, and refused on two occasions to allow her mother to visit her in prison. Two days later, it was announced that the Middle East Studies Association of North America
had written to Ahmadinejad expressing concern over Iran's detention of Esfandiari and other scholars. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
professor Noam Chomsky
issued a statement deploring Esfandiari's detention and calling it "a gift" to U.S. officials considering a future attack on Iran. Juan Cole
, a professor at the University of Michigan
and past president of the Middle East Studies Association of North America
, stated that he would boycott a conference in Iran which he had planned on attending in summer 2007, and called on other scholars to do the same.
On May 22, 2007, U.S. Representatives Chris Van Hollen
, Tom Lantos
, Elijah E. Cummings, Wayne T. Gilchrest, and Gary Ackerman
introduced a resolution, H. RES. 430, which called for the Esfandiari's release. On July 16, 2007, footage of Esfandiari appeared for the first time on a program entitled In the Name of Democracy, aired on the Iranian state television channel IRIB
. Esfandiari was shown wearing a scarf and speaking in Persian
.
In approximately August 2007, Lee Hamilton sent an appeal on Esfandiari's behalf to Supreme Leader of Iran
Ali Khamenei
, mentioning her extensive efforts to explain Iran's history and culture. Hamilton received a rare, unsigned response from the ayatollah
's office stating that he would deal with the issue and that "necessary measures will be taken as soon as possible".
Iranian-American
Iranian-Americans are Americans of Iranian ancestry or people possessing Iranian and American dual citizenship.Iranian-Americans are amongst the most highly educated groups in the United States...
academic and the Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Her areas of expertise include Middle Eastern women's issues, contemporary Iranian intellectual currents and politics, and democratic developments in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. In 2007 she was detained, in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
, in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
's Evin Prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
for more than 110 days, between May 8 and August 21.
Biography
Esfandiari, who comes from a Shia Muslim family, was born and grew up in Iran. Her mother was born in Austria. She has lived in the United States since 1980, having left Iran with her husband and daughter at the time of the 1979 Iranian RevolutionIranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
. She holds dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship (she had retained her Iranian passport to facilitate visiting her elderly mother in Tehran).
Esfandiari is married to Shaul Bakhash
Shaul Bakhash
Shaul Bakhash , PhD, is a historian and leading expert in Iranian studies at George Mason University where he is a "Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History."...
, a Jewish
Persian Jews
Persian Jews , are Jews historically associated with Iran, traditionally known as Persia in Western sources.Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran. The Book of Esther contains some references to the experiences of Jews in Persia...
Iranian American professor of history and Persian studies at George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
. She met Bakhash in the early 1960s, when both were reporters at the Iranian newspaper Kayhan
Kayhan
Kayhan is an influential newspaper in Iran. Directly under the supervision of the Office of the Supreme Leader, it is regarded to be "the most conservative Iranian newspaper."...
. They have a daughter, Haleh Bakhash (b. ca. 1967) and two granddaughters.
Career
She was Deputy Secretary General of the Women's Organization of Iran. Esfandiari earned her Ph.D. at the University of ViennaUniversity of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
.
In the U.S., Esfandiari has served as a Fellow at the Wilson Center from 1995–1996, and, previously, as an educator in the Near Eastern Studies department of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
from 1980–1994, teaching courses in Persian literature and language. She has also worked as a journalist and has been a frequent lecturer on current Iranian affairs. She has served as director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center for nearly ten years. She was also involved with the Wilson Center's collaboration with the RAND Corporation's Initiative for Middle Eastern Youth.
Esfandiari was a fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy
National Endowment for Democracy
The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, is a U.S. non-profit organization that was founded in 1983 to promote US-friendly democracy by providing cash grants funded primarily through an annual allocation from the U.S. Congress...
in its first year of fellowship program in 1995.
She is known to have been close to Faiza (Faezeh) Hashemi Rafsanjani
Faezeh Hashemi
Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani is an Iranian journalist, women rights activist, former member of Iranian parliament, and daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani....
, a former MP and a daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is an influential Iranian politician and writer, who was the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until his resignation in 2011...
, according to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Esfandiari is a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
Grant.
Works
She is the author of Reconstructed Lives: Women and Iran's Islamic Revolution (1997). In 2004 she contributed to the Washington Institute for Near East PolicyWashington Institute for Near East Policy
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is a think tank based in Washington, D.C. focused on United States foreign policy in the Middle East. It was established by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in 1985...
's Policy Watch Special Forum in an article marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. In April 2005, she contributed a piece to the Foreign Policy Magazine that is published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a foreign-policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. The organization describes itself as being dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States...
titled "Iranian Woman, Please Stand Up".
In September 2009, under the HarperPress imprint, HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
published her book, My Prison, My Home: One Woman's Story of Captivity in Iran.
Detention in Iran
On December 30, 2006, Esfandiari was robbed at knifepoint by three men while on the way to the airport after visiting her ailing 93-year-old mother in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, whom she had visited approximately twice per year over the past decade. During this incident, the men threatened to kill her; then they stole her baggage and both her U.S. and Iranian passports. Consequently, she was not permitted to leave the country. When she applied for new travel documents, she was instead barred from leaving Iran and interrogated over a period of six weeks by authorities from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence
Ministry of Intelligence (Iran)
The Ministry of Intelligence and National Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the secret police and primary intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
. These interrogations, which totaled approximately fifty hours, focused primarily on her work at the Wilson Center. During this time, she was allowed to return home each day, but "was pressured to make a false confession or to falsely implicate the Wilson Center in activities in which it had no part". On January 18, 2007, an interrogator and three other men (one holding a video camera) broke into her mother's apartment and entered Esfandiari's bedroom while she was taking an afternoon nap; they then took her laptop computer and other items.
In early May, she was asked again to confess to having taken part in anti-government activities, which she refused to do. On May 7, 2007, she was told to report to the Ministry of Intelligence
Ministry of Intelligence (Iran)
The Ministry of Intelligence and National Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the secret police and primary intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
. Upon her arrival there the next morning, she was taken into custody and driven to Tehran's Evin Prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
. She was one of four dual U.S.-Iranian citizen to be detained by the Iranian government under similar circumstances in 2007, the others being Radio Farda
Radio Farda
Radio Farda is the Iranian Branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's broadcast services. It broadcasts 24 hours a day in the Persian language from its headquarters Prague, Czech Republic. Radio Farda first aired December 2002. Radio Farda broadcasts political, cultural, social, and art news...
correspondent Parnaz Azima, Ali Shakeri
Ali Shakeri
Ali Shakeri is an Iranian-American businessman and activist. He graduated from the University of Texas with a business administration degree. He serves on the Community Advisory Board of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California, Irvine...
of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California at Irvine, and Kian Tajbakhsh
Kian Tajbakhsh
Kian Tajbakhsh is an Iranian-American scholar, sociologist and urban planner. He is a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, and has taught at both American and Iranian universities. Tajbakhsh is also an international expert in the areas of local government reform, urban planning, public...
, an Iranian American consultant for the Open Society Institute
Open Society Institute
The Open Society Institute , renamed in 2011 to Open Society Foundations, is a private operating and grantmaking foundation started by George Soros, aimed to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform...
. A former FBI agent, Robert Levinson
Robert Levinson
Robert A. “Bob” Levinson is an American private detective and former FBI agent. He disappeared in March 2007 when visiting Iran's Kish Island while apparently researching a cigarette-smuggling case...
, has been missing in Iran since he disappeared in March 2007.
During her detention at Evin Prison, Esfandiari was allowed to make one- or two-minute telephone calls to her mother most evenings, but was not permitted to have contact with her other family members. On May 15, 2007, Iranian Judiciary
Judicial system of Iran
A nationwide judicial system in Iran was first implemented and established by Abdolhossein Teymourtash under Reza Shah, with further changes during the second Pahlavi era....
spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi confirmed that Esfandiari was being investigated for crimes against national security and that her case was being handled by the Intelligence Ministry. On May 21, 2007, Iran's state TV announced that the government of Iran had charged Esfandiari of seeking to topple that nation's ruling Islamic establishment. The Ministry of Intelligence said that Esfandiari had admitted during interrogation that her institute was funded by the Soros Foundation
Soros Foundation
A Soros Foundation is one of a network of national foundations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, which fund volunteer socio-political activity, created by George Soros, international financier and self-proclaimed philanthropist, and coordinated since early 1994 by a management team called the...
. On May 29, 2007, one day after a rare high-level meeting between Iranian and U.S. officials, Iran announced that its judiciary had brought charges of "endangering national security through propaganda against the system and espionage for foreigners" against Esfandiari.
Calls for release
Until the announcement of Esfandiari's detention, both Bakhash and the Wilson Center chose not to publicize her case, hoping that by keeping quiet, her travel documents would eventually be returned and she would be allowed to return to the U.S. In February 2007, the Center's president, the former U.S. Representative Lee H. HamiltonLee H. Hamilton
Lee Herbert Hamilton is a former member of the United States House of Representatives and currently a member of the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council. A member of the Democratic Party, Hamilton represented the 9th congressional district of Indiana from 1965 to 1999...
, sent letters to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, Javad Zarif, in which he asked for assistance in obtaining Esfandiari's release. Ahmadinejad did not reply, but Zarif "indicated that he wanted to be helpful".
Following reports of her detention on May 9, 2007, both Bakhash and the Wilson Center gave statements to the press regarding the situation. Iran did not immediately confirm that Esfandiari is being detained. The U.S. State Department called for her release. On May 11, 2007, U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
and Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and three congresspeople, (Senators Barbara Mikulski
Barbara Mikulski
Barbara Ann Mikulski is the senior United States Senator from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. Mikulski, a former U.S. Representative, is the longest-serving female senator in U.S...
, Benjamin L. Cardin, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen
Chris Van Hollen
Christopher "Chris" Van Hollen, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
called for Esfandiari's release. At that time two campaigns demanding the release of Esfandiari with petitions were initiated by the American Islamic Congress
American Islamic Congress
The American Islamic Congress is a 501 non-profit organization based in the United States. According to the organization's website, it is "dedicated to building interfaith and interethnic understanding." It was founded in November 2001 by a diverse group of American Muslims to promote tolerance...
and the Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East is an independent non-profit international community network of academic scholars, which according to its founder, conducts "pro-Israel advocacy"...
.
On May 15, 2007, U.S. Senators Gordon H. Smith and Hillary Clinton introduced a resolution (S. RES. 199) calling for Esfandiari's immediate and unconditional release. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
also called for Esfandiari's immediate release. On May 17, 2007, Iranian human rights activist and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
, who has known Esfandiari for many years, called for Esfandiari's immediate release and announced that she would be acting as one of Esfandiari's attorneys, along with Abdolfatah Soltani. The prosecutor of the Islamic Revolutionary Court
Islamic Revolutionary Court
Islamic Revolutionary Court is a special court in the Islamic Republic of Iran designed to try those suspected of smuggling, blaspheming, inticing violence or trying to overthrow the Iranian government...
, however, prevented Esfandiari from access to counsel, refused to provide detailed information regarding the charges against her, and refused on two occasions to allow her mother to visit her in prison. Two days later, it was announced that the Middle East Studies Association of North America
Middle East Studies Association of North America
Middle East Studies Association of North America is a learned society, and according to its website, "a non-political association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encourages public understanding of the region and its peoples...
had written to Ahmadinejad expressing concern over Iran's detention of Esfandiari and other scholars. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
professor Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
issued a statement deploring Esfandiari's detention and calling it "a gift" to U.S. officials considering a future attack on Iran. Juan Cole
Juan Cole
John Ricardo I. "Juan" Cole is an American scholar, public intellectual, and historian of the modern Middle East and South Asia. He is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. As a commentator on Middle Eastern affairs, he has appeared in print and on...
, a professor at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and past president of the Middle East Studies Association of North America
Middle East Studies Association of North America
Middle East Studies Association of North America is a learned society, and according to its website, "a non-political association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encourages public understanding of the region and its peoples...
, stated that he would boycott a conference in Iran which he had planned on attending in summer 2007, and called on other scholars to do the same.
On May 22, 2007, U.S. Representatives Chris Van Hollen
Chris Van Hollen
Christopher "Chris" Van Hollen, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
, Tom Lantos
Tom Lantos
Thomas Peter "Tom" Lantos was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death, representing the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a portion of southwest San Francisco...
, Elijah E. Cummings, Wayne T. Gilchrest, and Gary Ackerman
Gary Ackerman
Gary Leonard Ackerman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 1983. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
introduced a resolution, H. RES. 430, which called for the Esfandiari's release. On July 16, 2007, footage of Esfandiari appeared for the first time on a program entitled In the Name of Democracy, aired on the Iranian state television channel IRIB
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcaster, or IRIB, , formerly called the National Iranian Radio and Television until the Islamic revolution of 1979, is a giant Iranian corporation in control of radio and television which is among the largest media organizations in Asia and Pacific region, and a regular...
. Esfandiari was shown wearing a scarf and speaking in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
.
In approximately August 2007, Lee Hamilton sent an appeal on Esfandiari's behalf to Supreme Leader of Iran
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
Ali Khamenei
Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
, mentioning her extensive efforts to explain Iran's history and culture. Hamilton received a rare, unsigned response from the ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
's office stating that he would deal with the issue and that "necessary measures will be taken as soon as possible".
Released on bail
On August 21, 2007, Esfandiari was released on a US$333,000 bail, after her mother handed over the deed to her Tehran apartment. Her passport was returned and she left Iran and flew to Austria on September 2. In subsequent interviews she has stated that she was treated well while in captivity.External links
- Haleh Esfandiari Personal Home Page
- http://www.aftab.ir/news/2007/jul/16/c1c1184602901_politics_iran_haleh_esfandiari.php
- Middle East Program at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
- Free Haleh!
- Wilson Center statement, May 10, 2007
- Timeline of events in Haleh Esfandiari's detention in Iran
- Haleh Esfandiari: publications, transcripts, reports
- "Statement Protesting the Detention of Dr. Haleh Esfandiari by the Iranian Government", New York Review of Books, June 28, 2007 issue]
- American Iranian Council
- Haleh Esfandiari Freed From Iranian Prison
- Haleh Esfandiari - MIPtalk.com Interview
Video
- Jim Lehrer's Newshour interview with Haleh Esfandiari, PBS, September 12, 2007, YouTube (8 min 33 sec).
See also
- US raid on Iranian liaison office in Arbil
- Ramin JahanbeglooRamin JahanbeglooRamin Jahanbegloo is an Iranian philosopher and academic who is currently based in Canada. He teaches at the University of Toronto as a professor of political science.-Biography:...
- Kian TajbakhshKian TajbakhshKian Tajbakhsh is an Iranian-American scholar, sociologist and urban planner. He is a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, and has taught at both American and Iranian universities. Tajbakhsh is also an international expert in the areas of local government reform, urban planning, public...
- Ali ShakeriAli ShakeriAli Shakeri is an Iranian-American businessman and activist. He graduated from the University of Texas with a business administration degree. He serves on the Community Advisory Board of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California, Irvine...