UCL statement: incarceration of Dr Kian Tajbakhsh

He was arrested at his home in Tehran by Iranian security services on 11 May 2007 and has been detained since then in Evin prison, without being granted legal representation. 

Professor Malcolm Grant, President and Provost of UCL, said:  "Dr Tajbakhsh is an internationally respected social scientist and urban planner. He earned a high reputation as an international expert in local government reform, urban planning, public health and social policy. Amongst some of the important work he has done is the evaluation of humanitarian relief and reconstruction projects in Iran in the aftermath of the 2003 earthquake in Bam. 

"We at UCL are proud of Dr Tajbakhsh's achievements.  We urge the Iranian government to engage in formal legal process by granting him legal representation and providing evidence of the charges of which he is accused."