In support of Fariba Adelkhah's released

IFRA-Nigeria’s support the release of our colleague  Fariba Adelkhah . Roland Marchal was released on March 20 but  Fariba Adelkhah is still detained in Iran.

We join the CNRS in its demand for the immediate release of the researcher detained in Iran.

“The CNRS demands the immediate release of Fariba Adelkhah, a senior researcher at Sciences Po, currently on hunger strike, and Roland Marchal, a CNRS researcher, both members of the Centre for International Studies (CERI – Sciences-Po/CNRS) and held prisoners in Iran since June 2019. The CNRS strongly condemns their arbitrary detention which threatens the free movement of scientists, a prerequisite for conducting research.

The CNRS will continue to participate in public initiatives to obtain their release and stands shoulder to shoulder with their families and support committee.” 16 January 2020

The detention in Iran of our colleague Roland Marchal was revealed to the public in October. Fariba Adelkah's incarceration was made known in July.

Two prominent French academics, both internationally renowned researchers, are in prison in Teheran today.

• Fariba Adelkhah, an anthropologist from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, EHESS
• Roland Marchal, a sociologist with the French National Centre for Scientific Research, CNRS / UPDATE: 20 MARCH 2020,  Roland Marchal has been released.

Twice now our centre has been affected by this incomprehensible and unprecedented attack on French citizens.

IFRA-Nigeria would like to express its support and condemns this blatant and unacceptable violation of the freedom of research by the Iranian authorities, in the case of Fariba and Roland, as well as that of all the other researchers detained in Iran, whatever their nationality.

We, together with the International support committee, urge the French, European and international academic community of every discipline to suspend all current cooperation with Iran as a sign of solidarity and protest.

Fariba Adelkhah and Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian academic also detained at Evin prison, began a hunger strike on 24 December 2019 to demand their release but also that of other academic prisoners in Iran and the Middle East. In the name of academic freedom, both are entering a new phase of struggle and are calling for our support. They issued an open letter available here.

More information about Fariba and Roland on the CERI's website. 

We encourage our friends, fellows and colleagues to spread the information using the hashtag #FreeFariba #FreeRoland