Condemn the Iranian Government's Crackdown on Civil Society and Women's Rights Organizations

November 12, 2004

UPDATE: December 9, 2004

Fereshteh Ghazi and Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh Released from Prison

Due to mounting international pressure on the Iranian government, Fereshteh Ghazi, the Iranian journalist arrested in November, was released from prison on December 7th. Upon her release, Ms. Ghazi was taken directly to a hospital for treatment due to her poor physical and mental condition. During her forty-day imprisonment, Ms. Ghazi was denied legal counsel. One week prior, Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh, editor of feminist journal Farzaneh, was released on 300 million Rials (about $34,000 USD) bail.

WLP sends our sincerest thanks to our network for your immediate action to condemn the arrests of these women and the oppression of peaceful civil society activism.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

A WLP colleague and NGO leader on a visit to the United States told us today that she has been informed that under the present atmosphere following the crackdown on civil society and women's rights organizations, returning to Iran would place her in danger of imprisonment. We have also been contacted by colleagues in Iran asking us to help bring attention to the plight of civil society activists in Iran, especially two women leaders Fereshteh Ghazi, on-line journalist, and Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh, editor of feminist journal Farzaneh, who were arrested within days of each other and have been denied the right to legal counsel. Mahboubeh has contributed to the strengthening of Iranian civil society conducting capacity building programs as Director of the NGO Training Center in Tehran. Fereshteh has used her skills to create an increased awareness of the status of women in Iran using the Internet. We urge you to join other human rights and women's rights activists across the world to condemn the Iranian government's campaign against civil sociey and peaceful activism and to demand the immediate release of Mahbubeh Abbasgholizadeh and Ferseshteh Ghazi.

Please address your letters to:

His Excellency Hojjatoleslam Sayed Mohammad Khatemi The Presidency Office Pasteur Avenue
Tehran 13167-43311 Islamic Republic of Iran
E-mail: Khatami@president.ir

Her Excellency Louise Arbour
High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations Office at Geneva
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Fax: + 41 22 917 9022
E-mail: tb-petitions@ohchr.org

His Excellency Josep Borrell Fontelles
President of the European Parliament
Division for Correspondence with Citizens
L-2929 LUXEMBOURG
Fax: (352) 4300 27072

View calls for action from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML).