US-based academic Haleh Esfandiari was detained on 8 May after being summoned for questioning by Ministry of Intelligence officials. She is believed to be held without charge in Evin Prison’s Section 209. On 12 May the newspaper Kayhan accused her of spying for the US and Israel and of trying to incite a democratic revolution in the country. Amnesty International considers her a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for her peaceful activities, including her academic work. Amnesty International fears that she is at risk of torture or ill-treatment in order to place pressure on her to “confess”.
