Boycott Threat Puts Pressure on Iran to Release Scholar

[struggle4progress]

Source: Washington Post

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 19, 2007; 1:24 PM

Momentum is building behind an academic boycott of Iran to pressure the government to release imprisoned American scholar Haleh Esfandiari, director of Middle East programs at the Smithsonian's Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, who was jailed in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison May 8 after more than four months under house arrest.

The Middle East Studies Association of North America, which has 2,700 members worldwide, has written to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warning that the detention of scholars has triggered "grave concern" generally and that Esfandiari's specific imprisonment has sent a "chilling message to scholars throughout the world." ~snip~

MIT professor Noam Chomsky also issued a statement today calling Esfandiari's detention "deplorable" and warning that the action by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security was "a gift" to American policymakers trying to organize support for military action against Iran. ~snip~

In his popular blog, University of Michigan Middle East expert Juan Cole announced today that he has canceled plans to attend a conference this summer in Iran because of Tehran's imprisonment of Esfandiari. ~snip~



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/19/AR2007051900115.html

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Earlier LBN:

Academic from U.S. center arrested in Iran
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=28406