Dozens of sociologists and anthropologists called for the release of Saeed Madani

Dozens of social workers, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, and communication science specialists signed a statement calling for the release of social science researcher Saeed Madani.

This statement, signed by figures such as Shahla Azazi, Mohammad Fazeli, Nasser Fakuhi, Parviz Piran, Nayreh Tohidi, and Hossein Raghfar, refers to the social chaos in Iran today and reminds us that Saeed Madani, with his long-standing research background in the field of social harms, can help resolve the problems.

The aforementioned statement says that Mr. Madani “has shown through his research work in the fields of addiction, violence, prostitution, and other social harms how effective economic and social policies are in creating these problems… He considers a set of justice-seeking, 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 several times on political charges in 1994, 1999, 2000, and 2011.

The signatories of the statement continued: "We, doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, and others involved in reducing social harms, have learned a lot from the words and writings of Dr. Saeed Madani, and we believe that honorable, compassionate, and expert people like him should not be behind bars."

The statement ultimately calls on Iranian authorities not only to release Mr. Madani but also to take seriously his proposed approaches and solutions to social problems and dilemmas.

"Social Movements and Democratization," "Violence Against Children in Iran," "On Execution," and "Addiction in Iran" are among Saeed Madani's books.

Source: Radio Farda