Faculty petition for Tajbakhsh’s release

On Sunday, students and professors who know Kian Tajbakhsh—an urban planner who earned his Ph.D. from Columbia and was slated to teach here this semester—publicized a letter lobbying for his release from Iranian prison.

The letter, from kianletter@gmail.com, had gathered over 150 faculty signatures by press time.

Tajbakhsh, who was supposed to teach at Columbia’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, was arrested this summer in Iran during the aftermath of the elections. He has also faced numerous charges of spying and being a threat to the national government.

“We hope to raise awareness about Kian’s case, and show our support for him as a member of our academic community and as a renowned scholar who has been falsely accused and unjustly imprisoned,” said a graduate student involved in the campaign who was granted anonymity for security reasons. “The charges are nonsense. Kian is a dedicated scholar, and someone who cares deeply about Iran. He has worked throughout his career to foster understanding between Iran and the rest of the world. I was looking forward to seeing him continue that work at Columbia this year, and it is terribly sad and frightening to know that he is in prison right now, instead of in a classroom here.”

“We, the undersigned faculty of Columbia University, call for the immediate and unconditional release of our colleague Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh,” the letter begins. It emphasizes his academic achievements and status as “an internationally recognized scholar who has taught at both American and Iranian universities.”

“Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to fostering better understanding between the United States and Iran,” it states.

The letter also mentions that Tajbakhsh has served “as a consultant for several Iranian government organizations, including the Municipalities Organization, the Social Security Organization, and the Ministry of the Interior” as well as with “international nongovernmental organizations such as the World Bank, the Open Society Institute, and the Netherlands Association of Municipalities.” It says that this work “was conducted openly, with the knowledge and often at the invitation of the Iranian government.”

“Dr. Tajbakhsh’s re-arrest and his sentencing after a mass show trial without access to independent counsel, constitute a violation of human rights and an assault on academic freedom. We are deeply concerned about his well-being, particularly in light of the additional charges announced against him in November,” the letter concludes, adding, “We call on the Iranian authorities to release him immediately and to allow him and his family to travel freely so that he may take up his position as a faculty member at our university.”

Tajbakhsh has faced a slew of charges. When he was arrested, he was accused of being a threat to national security for working with George Soros’ Open Society Institute—an organization Iran named a CIA operative—and being on the e-mail list of Gary Sick, a Columbia researcher whom Iran also connects with the CIA. Then, in October, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for spying. Tajbakhsh appealed this sentence.

Tajbakhsh was recently given another charge of “spying for the George Soros foundation.”

Sick, a senior research scholar at the Middle East Institute of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, called the charges against Tajbakhsh “absurd ... the best evidence of the underlying paranoia in the Iranian revolution government. They are persuaded that America is part of the revolution and trying to overthrow their government. They are looking for anybody that has associated with foreign government. … Some go to jail, others go to death,” he said.

“I have never been a CIA agent,” Sick added, stating that the accusation was invented by “an Iranian journalist or publisher.” He called it “disappointing” that there was “no effort to verify that it is true,” considering that “this is supposed to be a court case.”

“They can give you 15 years of jail for a rumor,” Sick said.

Of the campaign, he added, “Iran is arresting lots of people, many of my friends. I know a lot of people in Iran, and it makes them suspicious of me. With so much going on, people just forget about it. If Columbia can help keep it in front of the public, we should definitely do that. As a university, and as his friends, we need to make sure he doesn’t disappear out of sight.”

Two weeks ago, after Tajbakhsh faced the new charge, both the University and the White House issued statements calling for Tajbakhsh’s release.