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IRAN: Academic Ramin Jahanbegloo RELEASED
September 05, 2006
The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN welcomes the release on 30 August 2006 of academic and writer Ramin Jahanbegloo, who had been held incommuncado in Evin prison since 27 April 2006.
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Ramin Jahanbegloo was arrested at Tehran airport on 27 April 2006 as he was about to leave for an international conference on Iran, and his house was then reportedly searched. His detention was not officially confirmed until 3 May, although the reason for his arrest remains unclear and it appears that no charges were made against him. There were unconfirmed reports in May that Jahanbegloo was accused of espionage, violating security measures and of having links to monarchist and other opposition groups.
Rahin Jahanbegloo is the Head of the Department of Contemporary Studies at the Cultural Research Bureau in Tehran and holds Iranian and Canadian citizenship. He has frequently contributed to international newspapers and journals, commenting on Iranian affairs and human rights and is also the author of over 20 books in Persian, English and French on philosophy and current affairs in Iran.
Thank you to all who made appeals on behalf of Rahin Jahanbegloo.
For further information please contact Cathy McCann at International PEN Writers in Prison Committee, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER, Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339, email: cathy.mccann@internationalpen.org.uk