Dozens of Sociologists and Anthropologists Call for Saeed Madani’s Release
Dozens of social workers, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, and communication sciences specialists have signed a statement calling for the release of Saeed Madani, a social sciences researcher.
The statement, signed by figures such as Shahla Ezazi, Mohammad Fazeli, Nasser Fakouhi, Parviz Piran, Nirey Tohidi, and Hossein Raghfar, reminds readers—while noting today’s social disorders in Iran—that Saeed Madani, with his long research background in the field of social harms, can help address these problems.
The statement says that Mr. Madani “through his research work in the fields of addiction, violence, prostitution, and other social harms, has demonstrated how much economic and social policies contribute to creating these problems … he considers a set of just, democratic, and participatory policies to be the solution to the problems that have brought Iranian society to the brink of social collapse.”
Saeed Madani was arrested on May 16 on charges of “suspicious foreign contacts” and “anti-security measures.” The sociologist had previously been arrested and convicted multiple times in 1994, 2000, 2001, and 2011 on political charges.
The signatories of the statement continued: “We physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, and others involved in reducing social harms have learned much from the words and writings of Dr. Saeed Madani, and we believe that honorable, compassionate, and expert individuals such as him should not be behind prison bars.”
The statement ultimately calls on Iranian authorities not only to release Mr. Madani but also to take his proposed approaches and solutions for social problems and issues seriously.
“Social Movements and Democratization,” “Violence Against Children in Iran,” “On Execution,” and “Addiction in Iran” are among Saeed Madani’s books.
Source: Radio Farda
