[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF DR. HALEH ESFANDIARI

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 22, 2007

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, in December 2006, while visiting her 
ailing 93-year-old mother in Iran, Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, a respected 
American scholar, and director of the Middle East Program at the 
Smithsonian's Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, was imprisoned 
by the Government of Iran.
  Dr. Esfandiari is a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen who has lived in the 
United States for more than 25 years. She taught Persian language and 
literature for many years at Princeton University where she inspired 
untold numbers of students to study the rich Persian language and 
culture.
  While preparing to board her flight back to the United States, Dr. 
Esfandiari was stopped by Iranian officials, and forced at knife point 
to turn over her passport. Afterwards, she was repeatedly interrogated 
by Iranian intelligence officials and, though the Ministry of 
Intelligence has yet to produce any evidence of wrong-doing, she has 
been held in Iran's notorious Evin Prison since May 7, 2007.
  Iran's imprisonment of Haleh Esfandiari shows a gross disregard for 
the rule of law and belies statements by Iranian government officials 
that Iran would like to improve relations with the United States.
  I ask my congressional colleagues to join me in passing this 
resolution to demand that the government of Iran immediately release 
Dr. Haleh Esfandiari and to encourage the U.S. Government to employ all 
appropriate means to expedite the process.

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