III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 214 

Calling upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately 

release Dr. Haleh Esfandiari. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 24, 2007 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. 

SMITH, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. DODD, Mr. BINGAMAN, and Mr. COLEMAN) 

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Calling upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of 

Iran to immediately release Dr. Haleh Esfandiari. 

Whereas Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, Ph.D., holds dual citizenship 

in the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran; 

Whereas Dr. Esfandiari 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; 

Whereas Dr. Esfandiari is a resident of the State of Maryland and the Director of the Middle East Program at the 

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 

Washington, DC (referred to in this preamble as the 

‘‘Wilson Center’’); 


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•SRES 214 ATS 

Whereas, for the past decade, Dr. Esfandiari has traveled to 

Iran twice a year to visit her ailing 93-year-old mother; 

Whereas, in December 2006, on her return to the airport 

during her last visit to Iran, Dr. Esfandiari was robbed 

by 3 masked, knife-wielding men, who stole her travel 

documents, luggage, and other effects; 

Whereas, when Dr. Esfandiari attempted to obtain replacement travel documents in Iran, she was invited to an 

interview by a representative of the Ministry of Intelligence of Iran; 

Whereas Dr. Esfandiari was interrogated by the Ministry of 

Intelligence for hours on many days; 

Whereas the questioning of the Ministry of Intelligence focused on the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center; 

Whereas Dr. Esfandiari answered all questions to the best of 

her ability, and the Wilson Center also provided extensive 

information to the Ministry in a good faith effort to aid 

Dr. Esfandiari; 

Whereas the harassment of Dr. Esfandiari increased, with 

her being awakened while napping to find 3 strange men 

standing at her bedroom door, one wielding a video camera, and later being pressured to make false confessions 

against herself and to falsely implicate the Wilson Center 

in activities in which it had no part; 

Whereas Lee Hamilton, former United States Representative 

and president of the Wilson Center, has written to the 

President of Iran to call his attention to Dr. Esfandiari’s 

dire situation; 

Whereas Mr. Hamilton repeated that the Wilson Center’s 

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•SRES 214 ATS 

ions and not to take positions on issues, nor try to influence specific outcomes; 

Whereas the lengthy interrogations of Dr. Esfandiari by the 

Ministry of Intelligence of Iran stopped on February 14, 

2007, but she heard nothing for 10 weeks and was denied her passport; 

Whereas, on May 8, 2007, Dr. Esfandiari honored a summons to appear at the Ministry of Intelligence, whereby 

she was taken immediately to Evin prison, where she is 

currently being held; and 

Whereas the Ministry of Intelligence has implicated Dr. 

Esfandiari and the Wilson Center in advancing the alleged aim of the United States Government of supporting 

a ‘‘soft revolution’’ in Iran: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the Senate calls upon the Government of 

3 the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately release 

4 Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, replace her lost travel docu5 ments, and cease its harassment tactics; and 

6 (2) it is the sense of the Senate that— 

7 (A) the United States Government, 

8 through all appropriate diplomatic means and 

9 channels, should encourage the Government of 

10 Iran to release Dr. Esfandiari and offer her an 

11 apology; and 

12 (B) the United States should coordinate its 

13 response with its allies throughout the Middle 


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•SRES 214 ATS 

1 East, other governments, and all appropriate 

2 international organizations. 

Æ 


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