Fariba Adelkhah, a 60 year-old Anthropologist, based at the Paris Institute of Political Studies where she is the Director of Research at the Center for International Studies, was arrested in Iran on June 7th while visiting family. Adelkhah has been studying and teaching in France for over 40 years. Reasons for her arrest have not been made public as yet. CCS has written the Chief Justice of Iran requesting an explanation and demanding that she be immediately and unconditionally released if not charged with a legitimate criminal offense.
July 30, 2019
Sayyid Ebrahim Raisol-Sadati
Chief Justice of Iran
Ministry of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran
1638 Vali-e Asr Avenue
South of Vali-e Asr Square
Tehran, Iran 14167-83595
Fax: 93-21-889-093-46
Dear Chief Justice Raisol-Sadati:
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.
We write to express our concern for Fariba Adelkhah, a 60-year-old anthropologist who is an Iranian national with a French passport. She was arrested in Tehran on June 7, 2019 for as yet unknown reasons while on a trip to Iran to conduct research and visit her mother. She is believed to be held in Evin Prison, and though she has had visits from her family, she has so far been denied the right to meet with French consular officials. Her supporters are concerned about the indefinite nature of her detention as she is not in the best of health.
Fariba Adelkhah has been studying and teaching in France for over 40 years, and is a recognized expert on Iran and Shi’ite Islam. She is currently based at the Paris Institute of Political Studies where she is the Director of Research at the Center for International Studies (CERI).
We urge you to immediately allow French consular officials to meet with Fariba Adelkhah, and to ensure that she receives the medical treatment she may need. We also urge you to disclose the reasons for her arrest and detention. If she is not to be charged with a legitimate criminal offense, we urge you to see to it that she is released immediately and unconditionally, and allowed to pursue her important scholarship without hindrance or intimidation.
We thank you for your attention to this most serious matter, and we look forward to receiving your response.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
cc:
H.E. Gholamali Khoshroo
Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 687-2020
Fax: (212) 867-7086
Email: iran@un.int
Hassan Rouhani
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: media@rouhani.ir