Britain’s three major freedom of expression groups, Index on Censorship, English PEN, and Article 19, have come together to express their concern to the Iranian government via this open letter to the Iranian ambassador in London:

ARTICLE 19, English PEN and Index on Censorship call for the immediate
release of three US-Iranian citizens, charged by the Iranian
authorities with ‘acting against national security by engaging in propaganda
against the Islamic republic by the method of spying on behalf of foreigners.’

The accused are Kian Tajbakhsh, a social scientist at the New School in
New York who has worked as a consultant for the Open Society Institute
and the World Bank; Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East
programme at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars; and Ali Shakeri, a founding board member of the
University of California, Irvine, Center for Citizen Peacebuilding.

ARTICLE 19, Index on Censorship and English PEN are alarmed by the
deterioration of the protection of the right to freedom of expression
in Iran, and in particular by the repeated attempts by the Iranian
authorities to isolate the Iranian media and academic community from
its global counterparts, and curtail cross-cultural dialogues and debates,
with the view of maintaining tight control over information, ideas, and
opinions. Dual nationals American-Iranians have been particularly
targeted, and their basic right to a fair trial denied.

We are gravely concerned that Tajbakhsh, Esfandiari and Shakeri have
been charged in violation of their right to freedom of expression, as
outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
to which Iran is a signatory, and call for their immediate and unconditional release.

Yours sincerely

Dr Agnes Callamard
Executive Director, ARTICLE 19
Global Campaign for Free Expression

Jonathan Heawood
Director, English PEN

Jo Glanville,
Editor, Index on Censorship