Haleh Esfandiari Released From Prison on Bail

Dr. Haleh Esfandiari released from prison on bail yesterday. On late Monday night I talked to Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Haleh’s Lawyer in Tehran. She didn’t know anything about preparation for her release. In a phone interview from Tehran, Ebadi told me :

“I am continually in touch with Ms. Esfandiari’s mother. Ms. Esfandiari is allowed to talk to her mother once or twice per week. The conversations are by telephone and for one minute. Ms. Esfandiari’s mother is Austrian and speaks German; mother and daughter have always conversed together in German. However, since Ms. Esfandiari has been detained she has been told not to speak German when she calls her home; that she should speak Farsi so that prison authorities can monitor [her calls]. This upsets my client because her 93-year old mother is not fluent in Farsi. They can only talk for one
minute which is spent on greetings and very simple conversation.”