Passport
FP contributor imprisoned in Tehran
As noted in yesterday’s Morning Brief, esteemed scholar Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, was imprisoned in Tehran this week. legit sugar baby sa Philippines Back in December, Dr. Esfandiari was literally on her way to the airport to fly back to her home in Washington when her taxi was …
By
Christine Y. Chen
fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2
Human Rights
Iran
Middle East and North Africa
May 10, 2007, 5:24 PM
As noted in yesterday's
Morning Brief
, esteemed scholar
Haleh Esfandiari
, director of the Middle East Program at the Makati sugar baby Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, was
imprisoned in Tehran
this week. Back in December, Dr. Esfandiari was literally on her way to the airport to fly back to her home in Washington when her taxi was stopped by three men with knives. They seized all her belongings, including her Iranian and her American passports. Esfandiari, a dual Iranian-American citizen, went to seek a replacement passport but was denied. Since then, she had been under virtual house arrest at her 93-year-old mother's home, allowed to leave only to visit Iran's intelligence ministry, where she was questioned for hours and hours upon end. That is, until Tuesday, when she was arrested and thrown into Tehran's notorious
Evin Prison
.
This is the most prominent detention of an U.S. citizen in Iran since the 1979 hostage crisis. There were a couple new developments yesterday. The State Department
condemned Esfandiari's imprisonment
, as well as the detention of Parnaz Azima, a correspondent for the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, whose passport was confiscated in January. Esfandiari's mother attempted to visit her in prison, but was turned away. And a hard-line Iranian news agency charged that Esfandiari sugar dating platform comparison Philippines heads up the Iran section for AIPAC, an absolutely ludicrous accusation. Esfandiari is known for hosting wide-ranging discussions on Iranian affairs, taking all viewpoints into account.
As noted in yesterday’s
Morning Brief
, esteemed scholar
Haleh Esfandiari
, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, was
imprisoned in Tehran
this week. Back in December, Dr. Esfandiari was literally on her way to the airport to fly back to her home in Washington when her taxi was stopped by three men with knives. They seized all her belongings, including her Iranian and her American passports. Esfandiari, a dual Iranian-American citizen, went to seek a replacement passport but was denied. Since then, she had been under virtual house arrest at her 93-year-old mother’s home, allowed to leave only to visit Iran’s intelligence ministry, where she was questioned for hours and hours upon end. That is, until Tuesday, when she was arrested and thrown into Tehran’s notorious
Evin Prison
.
This is the most prominent detention of an U.S. citizen in Iran since the 1979 hostage crisis. There were a couple new developments yesterday. The State Department
condemned Esfandiari’s imprisonment
, as well as the detention of Parnaz Azima, a correspondent for the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, whose passport was confiscated in January. Esfandiari’s mother attempted to visit her in prison, but was turned away. And a hard-line Iranian news agency charged that Esfandiari heads up the Iran section for AIPAC, an absolutely ludicrous accusation. Esfandiari is known for hosting wide-ranging discussions on Iranian affairs, taking all viewpoints into account.
Sadly, Esfandiari was likely not very surprised about her detention. In late 2005, the journalist-turned-academic wrote an article for
FP
called
“Iranian Women, Please Stand Up.”
In the article, she profiled a women’s glossy magazine called
Zanan
, and described how writers for the magazine had been imprisoned at various times on trumped-up charges. While writing the piece, Esfandiari visited Iran to see family members and did a little research on the side. She certainly was aware of the dangers, telling me that she was reluctant to communicate over e-mail from Tehran, and that she would file her story only once she was safely out of wealthy sugar daddies Philippines the country. Esfandiari is smart, objective, a terrific scholar and an excellent writer. Unfortunately, instead of writing about people who’ve been imprisoned, she’s become a prisoner herself. Our thoughts are with her and her family, and we hope she is released soon.
Human Rights
Iran
Middle East and North Africa
Christine Y. Chen
is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.
Read More On
Human Rights
|
Iran
|
Middle East and North Africa
Editors’ Picks
1
No One Has a Plan for American Decline
2
The EU and Canada Struggle to sugar baby dating privacy Define Their Relationship
3
After Israel Votes
4
How to Not Change Your Mind
5
Everyone Got Pete Hegseth Wrong
Latest
How Big of a paid sugar dating Philippines Threat Are Yemen's Houthis?
October 29, 2026
Carney, Von der Leyen Downplay Canada's Bid sugar daddy red flags for EU Associate Member Status
October 29, 2026
Iran War: Netanyahu and Trump Appear to Be sugar daddy verification Philippines Planning a New Round
October 29, 2026
How Baseball financial sponsor Philippines Links the U.S. and Latin America
October 29, 2026
No One find a sugar baby faster Has a Plan for American Decline
October 29, 2026
See All Stories
<!– image: https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2.png?quality=90 –>
<!– image: https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/fp-placeholder-inline.jpg –>
<!– image: https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/assets/src/images/icons/audio.svg –>
<!– image: https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/assets/src/images/icons/audio.svg –>
<!– image: https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/assets/src/images/icons/audio.svg –>