2007-05-23 22:30:39 -

NEW YORK, May 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh, 45, is a distinguished scholar and an American citizen. He is a consultant for the Open Society Institute and has also worked for other international organizations including The World Bank and a European urban planning organization, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities.

Dr. Tajbakhsh was detained in Iran on or about May 11.

OSI retained his services in 2004 as a consultant to facilitate public health, humanitarian assistance and urban planning projects that we undertook openly and with the knowledge of the Iranian

government. Dr. Tajbakhsh holds a doctorate in urban planning from Columbia University and was a professor at The New School in New York City for seven years and is currently a senior research fellow there.

We are concerned for his safety and call for his immediate release.

The Open Society Institute, a private operating and grant making foundation established by George Soros, works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. OSI works in over 60 countries including the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Source: Open Society Institute