Three Iranian Scholars Released on Bail After Recent Arrests
Shargh newspaper reported that Parviz Sedaghat, Mahsa Asadollahnejad, and Shirin Karimi were freed on Wednesday evening, November 12, after spending 10 days in custody.
Three Iranian researchers who were detained earlier this month have been released on bail, according to local media reports. Shargh newspaper reported that Parviz Sedaghat, Mahsa Asadollahnejad, and Shirin Karimi were freed on Wednesday evening, November 12, after spending 10 days in custody. The three had been arrested on November 2 by security forces, prompting widespread reactions from academics, journalists, and civil society groups.
The Iranian government has not provided detailed information about the basis of the arrests. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said officials were committed to ensuring that “the rights of all citizens are protected,” while adding that national security institutions were handling the matter. She said the Ministries of Culture and Interior were following the developments, but offered no clarification regarding specific charges.
The arrests drew responses from a number of groups, including Evin Prison detainees, journalists, economists, and civil society figures, who issued statements expressing concern. The three released scholars are well-known within Iran’s academic community. Parviz Sedaghat, 63, is an economist and translator who has contributed to numerous Iranian publications and is one of the organizers of “Naqd-e Eqtesad-e Siyasi” (Critique of Political Economy), a website that has been inactive since November 1. Shirin Karimi, born in 1983, is a translator and sociologist with an MA from the University of Tehran and is known for several authored and translated works, including the Persian translation of Asef Bayat’s Living the Revolution. Mahsa Asadollahnejad, born in 1990, holds a PhD in political sociology and has been active in teaching and lecturing on political thought, critical theory, and contemporary Iranian history.
Their release comes amid a broader series of summons and interrogations involving other critical researchers. Among them is economist Mohammad Maljoo, 53, who said he had been questioned for hours “outside judicial norms” and announced he would only respond to formal judicial summons from November 7 onward. Multiple reports have pointed to the involvement of the IRGC Intelligence Organization in recent arrests and investigations.
The detentions occurred in parallel with allegations broadcast by Iran’s state television against Iran Academia, an online Persian-language educational institution based in the Netherlands. IRIB’s Channel 2, citing IRGC intelligence, claimed that around 400 individuals associated with Iran Academia had been identified and that some had been detained. The report accused the institution of “soft overthrow” and creating networks aligned with Western interests.
In a statement, Iran Academia rejected the claims, saying they were unfounded and stressing that its mission is academic. Founded in 2012, the institution offers online programs in the humanities and social sciences and includes several prominent diaspora scholars among its contributors. It emphasized that it has no political agenda, and that participation in its platforms does not imply organizational affiliation.
It remains unclear whether the allegations broadcast by state television are connected to the recent arrests and summons of Iranian researchers. Judicial authorities have not confirmed any link, and no official charges have been announced. The release of Sedaghat, Asadollahnejad, and Karimi has eased some immediate concerns, but questions remain regarding the scope and motivations of recent actions by security institutions.