The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has sent a letter to the Iranian ambassador in Islamabad, calling for Kian’s release.  Kian has participated in a number of HRCP meetings and events.  The letter reads:

We are writing to express our gravest concern over the imprisonment of Iranian scholar Dr Kian Tajbakhsh, along with several others in Tehran on May 11th.

Dr. Tajbakhsh has been charged with bidding to undermine the Iranian State.

We would like to add our voice to the international calls being made for the immediate release of Dr. Tajbakhsh. HRCP has hosted Dr. Tajbakhsh at meetings and discussions here in Lahore, and we know him as a patriot who would never attempt to damage the Iranian State. Indeed, as a leading academic, he is known to many people here as a man committed to defending the culture and heritage of the region.

On both humanitarian and human grounds, HRCP urges the release of Dr. Tajbakhsh, whose wife is expecting their first baby. We are confident any investigation against him can be carried out by questioning him outside prison walls.

Yours sincerely,

Asma Jahangir
Chairperson