Haleh in Prison
I copied here last Saturday our MESA letter of protest about the Iranian government's imprisonment of Iranian-American scholar Haleh Esfandiari [also spelled Esfandiary].
Everyone should be outraged about this story. Her arrest should be an issue for everyone who believes in human rights, in academic freedom, and in women's rights.
I know Haleh and have enormous respect for her, and cannot say how anguished I am at the thought of her in that horrible Evin Prison, Iran's Abu Ghraib. I include below some more links on her case. But I'm not satisfied with just online petitions. Can't we get up some (legal, calm) protests in front of Iranian embassies in Europe and elsewhere?
Everybody does some things well and some things poorly. I have been pretty successful in various kinds of writing. But I'm not an organization person and don't have the slightest clue how to get up a successful protest in front of the Iranian embassy in London and Paris and Tokyo. Iran does a lot of trade with Western Europe and Japan, and the case of Haleh should be brought up every time they seek a new contract. We have to get her out of there, folks. Can anyone help? Can we set up a wiki project page and try to coordinate?
I had been planning to go to a conference in Iran in July, hosted by some French scholars, but I have cancelled in protest against this detention of my friend. I don't see how normal intellectual life can go on when a scholar at the Wilson Center can't safely visit Iran.
Scholars at Risk.
Danny Postel has written about this case at the Guardian.
Her husband, Shaul Bakhash has refuted the frankly looney tunes accusations against Haleh.
Amnesty International has issued a special alert about the issue.
Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Laureate, has condemned the arbitrary imprisonment of Haleh.
Rasool Nafisi discusses the reasons for which the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have imprisoned Haleh Esfandiari in the notorious Evin Prison.
Labels: Iran
posted by Juan Cole @ 5/18/2007 07:38:00 AM
Click to join Infoco
7 Comments:
Thanks Dr Cole for supporting Haleh!!
Thank you for this, Mr. Cole. I will blog a link to your story. It is important stuff!
dr Cole , a month ago , 2 dozen Lawyers, intellectuals , Doctors who signed a document in saudi arabia to demand reforms, transparency, accountability, and elections have been kidnapped by special forces in saudi arabia , Mr Al Manaa human rights leader from Paris , listed their names, their families do not know about them anything , YET NOT A SINGLE western organisation , paper , columnist spoke about them ,. why , why can saudi arabia continue this , when Iran is being punished for every single thing it does ? (like syria too ) why ??
I too agree that Iran should release Ms. Haleh Esfandiari immediately. But I see a linkage between the five Iranians captured by U.S. forces in Iraq this past January and kept in prison even though there is little hard or credible evidence against them.
Here's what I wrote in my blog on May 15, 2007.
Robin Wright in today's Washington Post reports on Iran's detention of the Iranian-American scholar 67-year old Haleh Esfandiari. I have previously posted comments about this unfortunate situation. See my post on May 11, 2007, and my post on May 12, 2007.
My point was and is that it should come as no surprise that Iran is retaliating against the United States for holding and detaining five Iranian "diplomats" seized in Iraq this past January. Especially after recent news reports that Vice President Cheney won out in his argument that the U.S. should hold these Iranians for at least another six months and not release them even though there is no real evidence against them for spying or aiding Iraqi insurgents.
But the linkage of the five Iranians with the case of Ms. Esfandiari seems non-existent to supporters of the Bush regime, for example, Condoleeza Rice. Robin Wright reports:
"In Moscow, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for Esfandiari's release. Her arrest and detention revealed "the nature of the Iranian regime," Rice told reporters. "She ought to be released and she ought to be released immediately.""
How must the detention of the five Iranians appear to people in Iran? Does it reveal "the nature of the [Bush] regime?"
Yes, Ms. Esfandiari ought to be released and she ought to be released immediately. But so should the five Iranians locked up by Cheney till at least July.
For further blogs on Ms. Esfandiari, see my my blog
www.pbsmonitor.blogspot.com
Roberto in Utah
Roberto. I enjoyed your blog. (just what I need, another blog to read) But I could not comment. Maybe it's me but I notice you have no comments, so maybe it's not me. I seem to manage on most blogs. Yours says I'm using the wrong password, which is odd. But even odder is no link to ask for clarification and having my password sent to me.
Just thought you should know.
"A major dilemma for these hardcore Islamists is the free movement of members of the Iranian diaspora - often highly educated, independent-minded and trained in critical thought - whose members bring into the country fresh ideas and alternative viewpoints."
This is why. Its a clear and effective message to the Iranians abroad. They don't want them returning to Iran. The mullahs don't have the power for nothing.
Tribalecho,
Thanks for your heads up. I hope the problem has been solved now. Thanks again.
Roberto
Post a Comment
<< Home