Individuals at Risk

You go home to visit your ailing mother. And suddenly, you are arrested and find yourself in the most infamous prison in the country held in solitary confinement by the intelligence service.

This outrageous turn of events happened to Haleh Esfandiari. Esfandiari who as we have heard is the director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC., remains in solitary confinement in Evin Prison where authorities will not allow bail or release her, or allow her lawyer, Novel Laureate Shirin Ebadi to visit her, in violation not only of her internationally recognized human rights but of Iranian law.

Parma Azima, a journalist with Radio Free Europe also went home to visit her family and was arrested as she came to the airport to leave Iran. She has been released on bail but cannot leave the country.

Both women, who are dual citizens of US and Iran, have had their passports confiscated by the authorities. Azima, though out of prison, cannot leave Iran.

A third dual citizen, Kian Tajbakhsh, a journalist and a dual citizen, was also arrested and is held in Evin prison. All are charged with promoting civil society in Iran. Amnesty International is deeply concerned that in Iran, peacefully working for understanding and to support non governmental organizations is a crime. In Iran, the charges refer to professional activities such as attending international scholarly conferences, as evidence of “acting against national security”. Amnesty believes these are politically motivated charges and that all these people have the human right of free association and free expression.

In a very disturbing development, a fourth dual citizen, Ali Shakeri, a peace activist from Irvine California, was ‘disappeared” on May 8 as he was leaving Iran for Europe. That means he was picked up by government agenda who do not acknowledge holding him. He has not been heard from since his family received a mysterious call from him saying he was not charged. But his whereabouts remain unknown. Amnesty is extremely concerned about Mr. Shakeri. We hold the Iranian authorities responsible for the health and safety of all those detained and ‘disappeared’. We call on the Iranian authorities immediately to produce Mr. Shakeri in good health and treat him and all other detainees with dignity, allowing them access to their lawyers and visitors.

Amnesty International believes that Esfandiari and Tajbakhsh are both Prisoners of Conscience, held for their peaceful professional activities and they should be released immediately and unconditionally.

All of them, including Azima, should have their passports returned so that they can travel back to the countries in which they now make their homes. Iran must end its persecution and prosecution of dual national scholars and journalists.