Professor returns after facing imprisonment

By Mary Georgevich

After a two-and-a-half year ordeal in Iran which included solitary confinement and a trial for espionage, a Santa Clara professor has returned to teaching, providing his students with real-life insight into the politics of the Middle East.

Dariush Zahedi, a professor in the political science department, was arrested by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence during the summer of 2003 while visiting family in Tehran. He was accused of spying and creating instability that would undermine the Islamic Republic of Iran.

After being imprisoned for over three months, Zahedi was released on a $250,000 bail in November 2003. He returned to the United States and resumed teaching in March 2004.

"I wasn't sure if I would be able to do so, but I went to the airport and left the country without any great difficulty," Zahedi said.

It took Zahedi several months to retrieve his passport, birth certificate and exit visa after his release on bail. "It was a difficult process," he said. "I had to go to the revolutionary court a number of times. I had to meet with my judge, my judges. I had to plead my case many times, but finally I succeeded."

Arrested in July by the Ministry of Intelligence, Zahedi was held in solitary confinement for 37 days. Although the ministry accepted his declaration of innocence, the Iranian prosecutor general refused to release him. Zahedi was released from solitary confinement but kept at the Evin Prison facility.

As time progressed in Evin, he was treated better. "I was in solitary for 37 days with the Ministry of Intelligence, and then I was transferred to the public area of the prison, so I was with other people, and I was allowed to meet with my family members," Zahedi said.

However, he was then transferred by the Revolutionary Guard to their own prison, where treatment was worse.

"I was not physically tortured, but I was put under mental, emotional, psychological pressure, especially in the Revolutionary Guard's detention center," Zahedi said.

Once back in the United States, Zahedi still had the spectre of a trial hanging over him. He was told that his case was still open and that he would be required to return to Iran and stand trial sometime in the future. The summons came in the fall of 2004.

It was a difficult decision for Zahedi to make.

"I was of course apprehensive about going back," he said. "But, at the same time, I did not want to go into self-imposed exile."

If he had chosen to remain in the U.S., he would have never been able to return to Iran. Zahedi was born in Iran, but holds dual Iranian and American citizenship. "He is a proud Iranian, and a proud American," said friend Kassem Nabulsi..

While imprisoned, people in both countries worked for his release.

Nabulsi maintained a web site following Zahedi's case, and faculty at both Santa Clara and University of California, Berkeley officially objected to Zahedi's imprisonment.

Zahedi also had support within Iran. According to the BBC, Mohsen Mirdamadi, head of the Iranian parliament Foreign Affairs and National Security committee, called for Zahedi's release from the Revolutionary Guard prison.

There was inherent danger in his return. If found guilty, Zahedi could have faced more jail time and the possibility of execution. However, Zahedi was confident there was no legal case against him, as he had been released and allowed to leave the country.

Although he had the option of hiring a lawyer, Zahedi instead chose to represent himself. "I was informed that it may not be helpful," he said. "I could have had one if I wanted."

So he returned and defended himself at his trial. For Zahedi, it was a "difficult and humiliating" experience. He was found not guilty, received his bail back and returned to the United States.

Zahedi resumed teaching after the trial in the spring of 2005. He currently teaches Intro to Comparative Politics and Politics of the Middle East.

Contact Mary Georgevich at (408) 554-4546 or mgeorgevich@scu.edu