Esfandiari Formally Charged in Iran

The Prophet Muhammad once said, “The ink of the scholar is worth more than the blood of the martyr.” Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. has been formally charged by the Iranian Judiciary for attempting to facilitate the toppling of clerical rule in Iran, today. The Iranian government claims that through her invitations and support of Iranian scholars visiting the United States that she has undermined and compromised the security of the theocracy.

According to the Associated Press, Iranian State television today said that Dr. Esfandiari was conspiring with the Woodrow Wilson Center and creating a network of opposition to the Iranian state at home and abroad. Further, according to the AP “The broadcast said Esfandiari confirmed during interrogations that her center “invited Iranians to attend conferences, offered them research projects, scholarships … and tried to lure influential elements and link them to decision-making centers in America.”


There is no word yet as to whether or not the trial will be public or private.

Since her arrest on May 8th, Dr. Esfandiari has been allowed only a handful of telephone calls, lasting less than two minutes to her ailing 93 year-old mother, during which she is simply allowed to confirm that she is, “OK.” Further, Shirin Ebadi, Dr. Esfandiari’s legal counsel has not been permitted to either see or represent her client by the Iranian government.

If this case was not so serious, the clerical regime’s paranoia would be laughable. The hysteria that is running rampant through the ranks of the regime is evidence of the pressure for political change and the despots inability to suppress the momentum of a new revolution in the country. Dr. Esfandiari is the unfortunate recipient of the paranoia and tangible disillusionment with the autocratic theocracy.

So much for the ink of the scholar.

X-Posted in my blog on Arabisto.com