OSI Decries Iranian Stalling Tactics; Calls for Release of Distinguished Scholar

Press Release
September 18, 2007

Contact:

Laura Silber
lsilber@sorosny.org
1-212-548-0640

NEW YORK—The Open Society Institute calls for the immediate release of Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh, who remains in an Iranian prison despite numerous promises that he was to have been set free by now.

Dr. Tajbakhsh, a renowned Iranian-American scholar, has been detained in the infamous Evin Prison for more than 130 days. He is held in solitary confinement even though the Iranian authorities have announced repeatedly that the investigation has concluded, and that he would be released soon.

We call for an end to this unjust ordeal and demand that Dr. Tajbakhsh be allowed to return to his family immediately, before the imminent birth of his first child.

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The Open Society Institute, a private operating and grantmaking foundation established by George Soros, works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. OSI works in over 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as in the United States.