Statement On The Detention In Iran Of Social Anthropologist Kameel Ahmady

STATEMENT ON KAMEEL AHMADY

21 August 2019

We the undersigned are academics and social researchers in issues concerning women and girls.

We note with sadness the arrest and detention in Iran of our colleague (and friend), the acclaimed British-Iranian social anthropologist and researcher Kameel Ahmady. [1]

As awards for, and recognition of, his work demonstrate, [2] Kameel’s studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of very important matters such as female genital mutilation and child marriage in the Middle East.  That dialogue must continue.

We respectfully appeal to the Iranian authorities to release Mr Ahmady from imprisonment as a matter of urgency.

Should any legal charges against him continue, we also ask the authorities in Tehran immediately to permit Kameel access to legal representation of his free choice.

Kameel Ahmady is a globally respected academic and researcher whose work has made invaluable contributions to the fields of his endeavours. 

We thank the Iranian authorities for their understanding of our concerns about the present situation, to which we hope a positive resolution acceptable to all parties will be achieved very shortly.

1. Kameel Ahmady Is Detained In Iran - News Updates
2. Kameel Ahmady - Publications, Achievements and CV

Signed:                Institution / affiliation

(see below for signatories)

If you are an academic, social researcher or similar and you would like to append your name and organisation to this Statement, please add your details in the Comment box below, or email your name and affiliation to Hilary [at] HilaryBurrage [dot] com, with the header ‘Kameel Ahmady Statement’.

Your support will then be added to the list of names below, and we will try to keep you informed of developments. Thank you.

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• Adebisi (Bisi) Adebayo: Activist, Reproductive Health of Women and Girls, Geneva, Switzerland
• Alex Adams: Chairman and Co-Founder, The Anti-FGM Network, UK
• Janet Afary: Mellichamp Chair, Professor of Religious Studies, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
• Nadia Aghtaie: Senior Lecturer in Gender and Violence, School of Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UK
• Bahar Azadi: Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Paris, France
• Hazel Barrett: Professor, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK
• Diyako Baroz: Nord University, Norway.
• William (Bill) Beeman: Professor of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, USA
• Hilary Burrage: Adjunct Professor, Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics, Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University, Chicago; Author of two books on FGM, London, UK
• Daniel Crocetti: Senior Research Fellow, University of Huddersfield, UK
• Fiona Coyle: Director, End FGM European Network, Brussels, Belgium
• Deniz Cenk Demir: Department of History, The University of Akron, Ohio, USA
• Mawaheb El-Mouelhy: Consultant, Population and Reproductive Health, Egypt
• Umut Erel: Open University, UK
• Behnam M. Fomeshi: University of Sydney, Australia
• Teri Gabrielsen: Founder and Executive Director, Africa Schools of Kenya (ASK), USA and Kenya
• Sayydah Garrett: Founder and President, Pastoralist Child Foundation, and Member, US End FGM/C Network, USA and Kenya
• Wallicia Gill: Board Member, Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, USA
• Priya Goswami: Co-Founder, Sahiyo, Germany
• Shahla Haeri: Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Boston University, USA
• Mary Elaine Hegland: Department of Anthropology, Santa Clara University, California, USA
• Henry Keculah: President, 4.0 GPA, College Admissions Counselor, Texas, USA
• Janroj Yilmaz Keles: Middlesex Univeristy, UK
• Azadeh Kian: Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies, University of Paris, France
• Shahram Kiani: Norway
• Alice König: School of Classics, University of St Andrews and member of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland
• Lorraine Koonce-Farahmand: Solicitor (UK), Lawyer (US), Gender & Human Rights Advocate, France
• Tobe Levin Freifrau von Gleichen: Visiting Professor, King’s College, University of London, Associate, the Hutchins Center, Harvard University, and CEO, UnCUT/VOICES Press, Germany
• Ziba Mir-Hosseini: Hauser Visiting Global Law Professor, New York University, USA
• Pardis Mahdavi: Director, School of Social Transformation, Arizona State University, USA
• Surya Monro: Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, Director of the Centre for Citizenship, Identity and Diversity, School of Human and Health Studies, University of Huddersfield, UK
• Pierre Mury: Attorney, Paris, France
• Jennifer Obaseki: Obaseki Solicitors, London, UK
• Jacqui Olkin: Consultant, USA
• Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh: PhD student, University of Huddersfield, UK
• Angela Peabody: Executive Director/Founder, Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, USA
• Lori Ann Post: Buehler Professor of Aging, Director of Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA
• Charlotte Rachael Proudman: Barrister at Goldsmith Chambers, London, UK
• Heather Sirocki: Maine State Representative (2010-2018) and sponsor of an Act Prohibiting FGM, USA
• Kate Smith: Research Fellow, University of Huddersfield, UK
• Donald Strong: Professor of Research Co-ordination, Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
• Mariya Taher: Co-Founder and Executive Director, Sahiyo, USA
• Sally Theobald: Professor of Social Science and International Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK
• Diane Tober: Professor, Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco, USA
• Nayereh Tohidi: Professor, Department of Gender and Women’s Studies and Director of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, California State University, Northridge, USA
• Soraya Tremayne: Founding Director, Fertility and Reproduction Studies Group, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, UK
• Diane Walsh: Reporter, MediaGeode GT Inc, Social Anthropology Research Management Consulting, Vancouver, Canada
• Linda Weil-Curiel: Attorney, Paris, France

If you are an academic, social researcher or similar and you would like to append your name and organisation to this Statement, please add your details in the Comment box below, or email your name and affiliation to Hilary [at] HilaryBurrage [dot] com, with the header ‘Kameel Ahmady Statement’.

Your name will then be added to the list of supporters above, and we will acknowledge your support also when we share this Statement more widely.  We will try to keep you informed of developments. Thank you. 

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6684-2740