The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) has sent the Iranian authorities the following letter, asking them to release Kian immediately. Kian has participated in a number of SSRC projects and conferences, and previously served on the steering committee of its Middle East and North Africa program.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice
Park-e Shahr
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Dear Sirs:

It is our understanding that on May 11, agents of the Iranian Ministry of Information arrested Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh at his home in Tehran. He is being detained without charge in Tehran’s Evin prison, where he is being held in detention without access to legal counsel.

As President of the Social Science Research Council, I want to express our strong concern for our valued colleague and call for his immediate and unconditional release.

Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh is a leading scholar with an international reputation and a respected professor who taught at the New School in New York City for seven years and remains a senior research fellow there. He has published two widely praised books, The Promise of the City: Space, Identity and Politics in Contemporary Social Thought (University of California Press, 2001) and Social Capital: Trust, Democracy and Development (published in Persian, 2005). In addition, he has published over 20 articles in leading scholarly journals and delivered lectures at major international conferences on urban planning, public health, and municipal government. Throughout the course of his career, Dr. Tajbakhsh has earned a reputation as a distinguished and respected scholar throughout the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Alongside his academic career, Dr. Tajbakhsh has worked as a consultant for several organizations including Iran’s Municipalities Organization, the Social Security Organization, and international organizations such as the World Bank and the Dutch Association of Municipalities.

Dr. Tajbakhsh has had a long affiliation with the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the leading academic organization for social scientists in the United States. He has served as a Steering Committee Member for the SSRC’s Middle East and North Africa Program and contributed in significant ways to the SSRC’s academic projects. It is difficult to imagine the international scholarly community without the reasoned and eloquent voice of Dr. Tajbakhsh. His incarceration is a grave concern to us all and we strongly urge that you reconsider your decision to detain him.

Sincerely,

Craig Calhoun, President
Social Science Research Council