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Wilson Center scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari free from Iranian jail after more than 100 days behind bars
LCHR applauds decision to release her and expresses renewed hope for just treatment of others who remain imprisoned
On Tuesday, August 21, Iran released Wilson Center scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari after jailing her for more than 100 days in Tehran’s Evin Prison. Though free on bail, she still faces charges of “crimes against national security.”
Wilson Center President Lee Hamilton told the Washington Post that the turning point in the effort to secure Esfandiari’s freedom came when he sent a heartfelt request to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Kahmenei. According to the Post, “An answer Hamilton received on Aug. 7 presaged Esfandiari’s release.”
Hamilton told reporters:
"I appealed to him on the basis of his religious views. It was a carefully drafted letter… I assured him that we had seen Haleh devote tireless efforts to understanding the culture and traditions of Iran, and I asked on humanitarian grounds for his help in obtaining the release of Haleh."
“Hamilton also pledged to devote ‘considerable time to trying to further respect and understanding between the two cultures,’” the Post reported. Click here for the full story.
The Leadership Council for Human Rights (LCHR) applauds Iran’s decision to release Esfandiari, as well as the measured and rational approach Hamilton employed in appealing to Ayatollah Kahmenei’s religious views. Esfandiari has worked hard to build a bridge of cultural understanding between the U.S. and Iran, and her release inspires hope that she may continue to do so.
LCHR joins the Wilson Center and the international community in advocating for the quick release of Open Society consultant Kian Tajbakhsh, Radio Farda correspondent Parnaz Azima, and California businessman Ali Shakeri, who remain unjustly detained in Iran.
In addition, LCHR voices continued concern for the fate of two Iranian Kurds, Adnan Hassanpur and Abdolvahed “Hiva” Butimar,” a journalist and civil society activist, who were sentenced to death last month in Iran’s Kurdistan Province. They are accused of involvement in political opposition groups.
According to recent updates (click here for more), the two men have been on a hunger strike for more than a month to protest their sentences.
LCHR joins the human rights community in calling for their sentences to be dropped.
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