Iranian-American scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari charged with attempting to overthrow Iranian government

May 22, 2007

On May 8, Iranian-American scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari was detained by the Iranian government. Her ordeal began on December 30 when, while visiting her 93-year-old mother in Tehran, she was attacked by armed men. Her life was threatened and her passports—both Iranian and US—were stolen. After spending four months under virtual house arrest and undergoing eight hours a day of interrogation, she was placed in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.

Dr. Esfandiari is a prominent scholar of Middle East studies. She has been the director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars for almost ten years. Ironically, she is not a critic of the Iranian regime. In fact, she has been criticized in Washington, DC for bringing lecturers to the Wilson Center who were sympathetic to the Iranian government. By detaining her, Iran has silenced a proponent of diplomacy. Dr. Esfandiari is the third Iranian-American taken hostage this year as part of Iran’s reaction to the announcement last year by the Bush administration that the US would be spending $75 million to promote democracy in that country. Neither Dr. Esfandiari nor the Wilson Center is associated with that policy in any way. The Wilson Center’s director, former Congressman Lee Hamilton, wrote to President Ahmadinejad in February asking for Dr. Esfandiari’s release, but has received no response.

The Initiative for Inclusive Security along with the American Islamic Congress, Freedom House, the Ibn Khaldoun Center in Cairo, and the Kuwaiti Economic Society, has created a Web site tracking press coverage and an electronic petition that can be accessed at www.freehaleh.org. 

---

On May 21, the Iranian government announced it formally charged Dr. Esfandiari with attempting to overthrow the regime. This announcement makes your action all the more urgent and necessary.

Take Action!

We urge the US Congress to support the immediate release of Dr. Esfandiari by the Iranian Government.  Here are actions that you and your Member might take:

1. Draft a sign-on (“Dear Colleague”) letter to President Bush and Secretary of State Rice demanding diplomatic action to secure the release of Dr. Esfandiari.  Specific requests might include:
   • a.       Requiring the release of Dr. Esfandiari as a precondition to dialogue with Iran;
   • b.      Working with other countries to urge the Iranian government to free Dr. Esfandiari. 
2. Join as a cosponsor to the Senate Resolution by Senators Gordon Smith and Hillary Clinton, or draft a House Resolution calling on the Iranian government to immediately release Dr. Esfandiari.
3. Pass information about the www.freehaleh.org petition on to your constituents.

For more information, please contact Mariam Mansury at mansury@huntalternatives.org. 

Please contact the persons listed below: 

US Government
George W. Bush
President
Tel: 202.456.1414
Fax: 202.456.0200

Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Tel: 202.647.9572
Fax: 202.647.2283

Nicholas Burns
Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Office of Political Affairs
US Department of State
Tel: 202.647.1598
Fax: 202.647.4780

Paula Dobriansky
Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs
US Department of State
Tel: 202.647.6240
Fax: 202.647.0753

C. David Welsh
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
US Department of State
Tel: 202.647.7209
Fax: 202.736.4462

Ambassador James F. Jeffrey
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
US Department of State
Tel: 202.647.7207
Fax: 202.736.4462

Alan G. Misenheimer
Director
Office of Arabian Peninsula and Iran
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
US Department of State
Tel: 202.647.6184
Fax: 202.736.4459

Back to Links    Next Page