In Support of Fariba Adelkhah

In mid-July, 2019, the arrest and detention of Sciences Po researcher Fariba Adelkhah was made public. At that time, she had been imprisoned for nearly two months. Though she holds both French and Iranian nationalities, she has not - as of July 29, 2019 - benefitted from a French consular visit, as dual citizenship is not recognised in Iran. The Sciences Po faculty published the following message in support of their colleague.

July 15, 2019

We were shocked to learn of the arrest in Iran of our colleague Fariba Adelkhah and her detention for apparently several weeks, with no possibility of contact with the French authorities.

Fariba Adelkhah, a research professor at Sciences Po’s Center for International Research, is an anthropologist and a specialist in Iranian society. She has published numerous books, notably on the question of modernity (Being Modern in Iran, Columbia University Press, 2004). She has also worked on the topic of public space in Afghanistan. Her current research focuses on the Shia clerical institution and she was, for this purpose, carrying out field work in Qom.

The importance and originality of Fariba Adelkhah's works have been acclaimed internationally. We are privileged to have such a distinguished scholar in our academic community at Sciences Po. Her arrest and prolonged detention constitute an infringement of basic human rights and of academic freedom.

We wish to convey to Fariba and her family our warmest support and our strong hope for her quick release. 

The Sciences Po Faculty