The “Scholars at Risk” global network issued a statement expressing concerns about the conditions of Fariba Adelkhah, the French-Iranian sociologist detained in Evin Prison.

In their statement on Wednesday, SAR states: “Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arrest of a scholar conducting academic research—conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party.”

Scholars at Risk is a global network which consists of over 400 educational institutions in 39 countries.

The statement also expresses concern about the growing number of students and scholars being incarcerated in Iran: “Over the years, a growing number of Iranian and foreign scholars and students have been imprisoned in Iran on national security and espionage-related charges. Detainees have experienced mistreatment, including torture, harassment, cramped living conditions, and denied access to appropriate medical care, family and legal counsel.”

“State authorities have an obligation to refrain from restricting, retaliating against, or otherwise interfering with the nonviolent exercise of academic freedom,” the statement continues.

In early June 2019, Fariba Adelkhah, an anthropologist at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po), was reportedly arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a research trip to Iran.

President Macron has also expressed concern about her condition and demanded an explanation from the president of Iran.