Freed Scholar Recounts Iran Prison Ordeal

Esfandiari recalls determination not to 'succumb to despair'
By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 10, 2007 12:15 PM CDT
Freed Scholar Recounts Iran Prison Ordeal
ian Tajbakhsh, accusing them of endangering national security. Esfandiari described what appeared to be her activities as director of the Middle East program at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. (AP Photo/IRIB)   (Associated Press)

It took a daily routine for Haleh Esfandiari to stay level-headed during her 105-day stint in Iran's notorious Evin prison. The Iranian-American scholar paced her room for 3 to 4 hours a day, read, and wrote a book in her head to ward off depression. She was treated respectfully, but "a prison is a prison," she said upon returning to the US.

Esfandiari, 67, was detained at the end of a family visit in December and not released until last week. She attributes Tehran's interest to her job with a Washington think tank. "There is a concern among certain elements that the United States has planned some sort of Velvet Revolution in Iran," she told CNN. (More Haleh Esfandiari stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X