The journal Social Research, for which Kian has written, has asked its editors, contributors, and readers to sign a letter on his behalf.  A number of well-known academics, including Arjun Appadurai, Timothy Garton Ash, Juan Cole, Sir Bernard Crick, Paul Ehrlich, Kurt Gottfried, Edward Hirsch, Eva Hoffman, Stanley Hoffman, Farhad Kazemi, Bob Kerrey, Adam Michnik, Samantha Power, Kenneth Prewitt, and Charles Taylor, have already added their names. The full list of signatories can be found at the Social Research website, and we encourage others to sign.

The text of the petition reads:

Concerned Scholars and Intellectuals Protest the Imprisonment of Kian Tajbakhsh

We at Social Research: An International Quarterly of the Social Sciences, based at the New School for Social Research, together with our readers and colleagues worldwide, are deeply distressed by the arrest and imprisonment of our highly respected author and colleague, Kian Tajbakhsh.

Rather than remain in the United States, his commitment to Iran, for which he has great affection, impelled him to return to Iran a half-decade ago to contribute to the country’s intellectual life and social development. There, his work on urban studies, public policy, and political participation have enhanced his already strong international reputation as a social scientist of great talent and achievement. His fine scholarship has made great contributions to an understanding of Iranian society, and has increased the possibility of cooperation across borders.

We thus urgently call on the government of Iran to end the unjustified detainment of Dr. Tajbakhsh.