Free Republic

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Authorities in Iran have detained an Iranian-born lecturer at a top US university on suspicion of espionage for at least three months, colleagues said Wednesday. Political scientist Dariush Zahedi, who lectures at the University of California, Berkeley, is being held in Tehran's Evin prison, his colleague Professor Edwin Epstein told AFP. Tehran-based news service Iran Emrouz reported that the academic and author was being held in solitary confinement on suspicion of espionage after returning home for a visit in June. "I learned about this from family associates in late July, but when exactly he was detained,...

A political-science lecturer at the University of California-Berkeley and Santa Clara University is being held in Iran on charges of espionage, according to Iranian media. Dariush Zahedi, a U.S. citizen, never returned from a trip to his native Iran this summer, and concerned students and colleagues at both campuses are trying to piece together what happened. ``We're deeply concerned for him and we very much hope that he will be released shortly,'' said David Leonard, dean of the International and Area Studies Department at UC-Berkeley. ``His teaching here at Berkeley was always balanced and fair, and as a consequence we...