The board of the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee on the Sociology of Urban and Regional Development has sent the following letter to the Iranian authorities:

Dear Sirs:

As elected Steering Committee members of the Research Committee on the Sociology of Urban and Regional Development (RC21) of the International Sociological Association, we write to express our grave concern and dismay over the arrest and detention of Professor Kian Tajbakhsh. In addition to being a member in good standing of our association, Dr. Tajbakhsh is a respected and world-known scholar of cities in the developing world, having written widely on the theory and practice of urban development in the Middle East and elsewhere. He is a respected member of our collegium who has shown the highest integrity in work and professional relations. His commitment to scholarship, to bettering the quality of life in cities of the Middle East, and to promoting open dialogue and understanding among professional urbanists around the world have increased his stature in recent years. As an association that counts on a global membership from countries North and South, East and West, and as a community of scholars who relish the give-and-take among urbanists of all nationalities, races, ethnicities, and political persuasions, we are concerned about the international repercussions of Dr. Tajbkhsh’s arrest and its implications for future scholars who, like Kian, are committed to research and practice in cities of the world. We strongly urge you to reconsider your decisions to retain and charge him, and that in the interim he be given access to legal counsel, family members, and any necessary medical aid.

Sincerely,

Kuniko Fujita (Japan/USA), President
Fernando Diaz Orueta (Spain), Secretary
Yuri Kazepov (Italy), Vice-President

Board Members
Judith Bodnar (Hungary)
Tim Butler (UK)
Diane Davis (USA)
Jan Willem Duyvendak (Netherlands)
Kong Chong Ho (Singapore)
Ute Lehrer (Canada)
Takashi Machimura (Japan)
Thomas Maloutas (Greece)
Eduardo Marques (Brazil)
Ranvinder Singh Sandhu (India)