May 8, 2007

Zeinab Peyqambarzadeh, an active youth member of the “One Million Signatures” campaign, was arrested yesterday for her participation in a peaceful protest on March 4. She reported to the Revolutionary Court after receiving a summons, where she was then arrested and transferred to Evin prison. Her father and lawyer attempted to post the set bail of 20 million toumans (about $27,000), but the court refused to accept the bail and would not authorize Peyqambarzadeh’s release. Two other women’s rights activists, Maryam Hosseinhkah and Fatemeh Govaraie, were also summoned to court for their role in the March 4 protest. The peaceful protest was staged in objection to increasing pressure on the Iranian women’s movement and efforts to curb activities aimed at raising awareness of discriminatory laws against women. (Scroll down for more information about the March 4th protest.)

 

For more information, read:

• New Form of Lawlessness Spreading in Iran: Interview with Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, by Sepideh Abdi, Rooz Online
• Courts Refuse to Release Zeinab from Prison! Father told, Come back on Wednesday
• Vozara Detention Center : A Place for Women in Search of Freedom by Zeinab Peyqambarzadeh
  Excerpt: "Zeinab Peyqambarzadeh was the first member of the Campaign to be arrested. She was arrested on Friday December 22, 2006 while distributing pamphlets on the metro and taken to Vozara Detention Center. She was subsequently released after spending 4 days in detention. Zeinab has since been arrested on two other occasions. She was among the 33 women arrested in front of the Revolutionary Courts in early April. In relation to this case, Zeinab was summoned to the Revolutionary Courts on May 7, and was arrested due to the fact that she was unable to post a bail of 20 Million Tomans. She is currently being held in Ward 3 of Evin prison. Zeinab wrote the following article based on her experience in Vozara detention center. Zeinab is also among many students whose registration at University has been suspended due to social and political activities. She is currently suspended from University but hopes to reenroll next term."
• Read Zeinab's Weblog (Persian)

 

---

Four Iranian women's rights activists sentenced to prison for organizing a peaceful protest demanding equal rights

April 25, 2007 Four women's rights activists were sentenced to prison last week for their role in organizing the June 12, 2006 peaceful protest demanding equal rights for women. The activists are organizers of the "One Million Signatures" Campaign launched in August 2006 to demand an end to discriminatory laws against women. They were officially charged under article 610 of the penal code with "actions against the state" and threatening "national security."

Fariba Davoudi Mohajer was sentenced to 4 years in prison, three of which are suspended and one year needs to be served. Parvin Ardalan and Noushin Ahmadi Khorasani were sentenced to 3 years, of which two and a half years are suspended and six months are to be served. Sussan Tahmasebi received 2 years, of which one year and a half years are suspended and six months are to be served.

The women will be required to serve the suspended sentences if "found guilty of another crime"--meaning continue activism--during the next five years. The government is using the suspended sentence as a way to pressure activists into ceasing their activities.

All activists were tried in absentia. In a strange turn of events, when they walked outside the courthouse to stop the police from beating supporters and friends assembled to hear the outcome of their case, they were arrested and prevented from returning to the courthouse to be present at their own trial.

To help these courageous women achieve their goal of reaching one million signatures, please sign the petition: English Petition | Persian Petition.

To protest the sentencing of the four activists, please write to:

Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Iran
Email: info@leader.ir
Fax: +98-21-649-5880 or +98-21-774-2228
Salutation: Your Excellency

Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi
Head of the Judiciary
Ministry of Justice
Park-e Shahr
Tehran, Iran
Email: Irjpr@iranjudiciary.com
Fax : +98-21-879-6671
Salutation: Your Excellency

Dr. M. Javad Zarif
Ambassador to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10017, United States
Email: jzarif@un.int
Fax: +1-212-867-7086
Salutation: Your Excellency

 

---

Women’s rights activists sentenced to prison for threatening “national security”

April 19, 2007 Fariba Davoudi Mohajer and Sussan Tahmasebi, two of the eleven women’s rights activists summoned by the Revolutionary Court, were sentenced to prison on April 18 for threatening “national security.” The two activists were organizers of the peaceful protest on June 12, 2006 and the “One Million Signatures” campaign demanding an end to discriminatory laws against women. Davoudi Mohajer, who was tried in absentia as she is currently abroad, was sentenced to one year in prison and three years suspended sentence. Tahmasebi was sentenced to six months in jail and one and a half years suspended sentence. Their lawyers are appealing the sentences. We will keep you updated on developments as we receive them.

---

'One Million Signatures Campaign': Two Iranian Women Activists Released; 11 Others Summoned to Revolutionary Court

April 17, 2007 We are pleased to share with you that Mahboubeh Hosseinzadeh and Nahid Keshavarz, activists in the One Million Signatures Campaign, arrested on April 2nd, were released from Evin prison on April 15th. They were incarcerated for nearly two weeks for collecting signatures in support of a petition to change discriminatory laws against women in Iran.

The released women activists and campaign members extend their gratitude to all individuals, civic organizations, and human rights and women's rights networks who have supported them and who have helped bring worldwide attention to their struggle. However, harassment of activists continues. Since this weekend, 11 more of our activist colleagues, have been summoned by the Revolutionary Court and charged with “violating national security,” “publicity against the Islamic Republic,” and “participating in an unauthorized demonstration.” The Iranian news agency ILNA reported yesterday that Information Minister, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejeie, declared the women’s movement and the students’ movement as “elements of soft subversion” against the regime. In escalating crackdown on women’s rights, the police have announced that starting this Saturday they will begin apprehending women whose dress is deemed to be in violation of the Islamic code. Women wearing short mantos (coats), tight outer garments, and inadequate headscarves will be taken to four centers. Tehran’s deputy head of police Hossein Sadjedi-Nia explained, "They will have to give a written engagement not to repeat the offense and can then leave when their family brings the appropriate clothing." Further information: Read the activists' reports from prison about the conditions of female prisoners:

• "All Women are Victims, not Just those in Prison," by Mahboubeh Hosseinzadeh
• "What will they do about the Growing Awareness among female Prisoners and their Guards?" by Nahid Keshavarz
• "New Strategies for Harassment and Intimidation of Women’s Rights Defenders"
• View pictures of the women activists following their release.

---

Iranian Women's Human Rights Defenders Once Again Targeted and Arrested

April 3, 2007 One of our colleagues and an active member of the One Million Signatures campaign has sent the following update today:

Mahboubeh Hossein Zadeh and Nahid Keshavarz, two members of the One Million Signatures Campaign, who were arrested on Monday April 2nd while collecting signatures in support of a petition to change discriminatory laws against women, were transferred to Evin prison this afternoon. They are currently being held in the 209th section of Evin prison, which is managed by the Security Forces. Three other members of the Campaign, Sara Imanian, Homayoun Nami, and Saiedeh Amin, were released after spending a day in detention at the police station.

Nahid Keshavarz and Mahboubeh Hossein-Zadeh along with the other three arrested individuals were taken to the Revolutionary Courts early today. During their interrogations, these two women's rights defenders were asked to sign a statement agreeing to end their activities in the Campaign and on behalf of women. When they refused to do so, the two women were charged with actions against national security and transferred to Evin Prison.

According to those released today and in short conversations these two women had with family members and other women's rights defenders prior to their transfer to Evin Prison court officers told the women that the demands of the Campaign are in contradiction to the foundations of Islam and as such are seen as actions against the state. Specifically they were told that the demands of the Campaign with respect to equal rights to inheritance for women, equal value on testimony of men and women, equal financial remuneration for bodily injury or death (or blood money), and the elimination of polygamy (currently men are allowed by law to marry up to 4 permanent wives and unlimited temporary wives) were in contradiction to the tenants of Islam.

Mahboubeh Hossein-Zadeh and Nahid Keshavarz are both women's human rights defenders, and active members of the Campaign.

• Nahid Keshavarz is a member of the Women's Cultural Center and provides regular news reports and articles for the website of this leading women's NGO www.herlandmag.info and the site of the Campaign www.weforchange.net. Nahid is a sociologist and also a regular contributor to other leading publications.
• Mahboubeh Hossein-Zadeh is a member of the Iran CSOs Training and Research Center www.koneshgaran.net, which was recently shut down by Security Forces. She served as a journalist for the website of this leading NGO engaged in capacity building for civil society. She has been a journalist with reformist dailies for 7 years.

Both Nahid and Mahboubeh are members of the media committee of the Campaign, which is charged with information sharing and reporting of developments in the Campaign.

 

The One Million Signatures Campaign started its activities in July 2007, and seeks to provide education on legal rights of women at the grassroots level with a view toward changing discriminatory laws against women. Along these lines, the Campaign collects signatures in support of its aims, which it plans to submit to the Parliament. Despite claims by Security Forces denying that they have a problem with the Campaign, the members of this peaceful movement have been targeted from the start with threats, arrests and harassment (for more info on this read: http://weforchange.net/english/spip.php?article10). This is the first overt effort on the part of the Security Forces against the Campaign and its members. Prior to this development, the Security Forces had continually claimed that they had no problems with the Campaign, its strategies or aim.

Links with pictures--Nahid is on the right and Mahboubeh is on the left: http://herlandmag.info/news/07,04,03,05,04,50/

---

Two Women's Rights Activists Released even as Crackdown on Iranian Civil Society Escalates

March 20, 2007
Two prominent Iranian women’s rights activists, arrested at a peaceful protest on March 4 (scroll down for more information), were released on March 19. Shadi Sadr and Mahboubeh Abasgholizadeh were charged with acting against national security and holding an illegal assembly for their role in organizing the March 4 protest against the increasing government pressure on civil society activists and, in particular, the trial of five women activists who organized a peaceful protest for women’s rights on June 12, 2006.
Sadr and Abasgholizadeh were released from Evin Prison on 200 million toumans (about $215,000) bail each. The two women spent 16 days in detention, 10 of which were in solitary confinement.

The crackdown on civil society continues to escalate throughout the country. At least eight women were arrested at a peaceful protest to celebrate International Women’s Day in Sanandaj, the capital of Kordestan province. Most were released shortly afterwards except for a journalist, Aso Saleh, who is still being detained.

In August 2006, Iranian women’s rights activists launched the “One Million Signatures” campaign to demand an end to discriminatory laws against women. Please support the campaign.

The escalating government harassment of civil society has expanded to include the closure of NGOs and the detention of teachers. Dozens of teachers remain in prison following a peaceful demonstration on March 14 to demand pay raises. At least three civil society organizations have been closed down. The Iranian NGOs Training Center, founded by Abasgholizadeh, and RAAHI: Women’s Center for Legal Counselling, directed by Sadr, were closed and sealed shut on March 15. Another organization, the Iranian CSOs Training and Research Center (also known as Koneshgaran Davtalab), which played a critical role in defending those arrested after the March 4 protest, was also shut down.

To express your solidarity with the activists and to demand an end to the harassment of civil society activists and organizations, please write to:
Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
Iran
Email: info@leader.ir
Fax: +98 21 649-5880/21 774-2228
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi
Head of the Judiciary
Ministry of Justice
Park-e Shahr
Tehran
Iran
Email: Irjpr@iranjudiciary.com
Fax : +98 21 879-6671
Salutation: Your Excellency
Dr. M. Javad Zarif
Ambassador to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10017
United States
Email: jzarif@un.int
Fax: +1-212-867-7086
Salutation: Your Excellency

---

Iranian Women Activists Arrested

March 9, 2007 Update The Iranian authorities released all but two of the women’s rights activists jailed on Sunday. The women who were released were warned not to attend protests marking International Women’s Day. The two who remain in detention –Shadi Sadr and Mahbubeh Abbasgholizadeh – are being held in solitary confinement. They continue to be detained for reportedly organizing and leading the protest on March 4. Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Parliament in Tehran on March 8 to mark International Women’s Day. Security forces attacked and broke up the gathering. (Scroll down to read the alert from March 7th.)

---

March 7, 2007 Thirty-four of our colleagues and partners in the Iranian women’s movement were arrested on Sunday, March 4 outside of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. They were staging a peaceful protest against the increasing government pressure on civil society activists and, in particular, the trial of five women activists charged with “endangering national security, agitating against the government, and taking part in illegal gatherings” because they had organized a peaceful protest for women’s rights on June 12, 2006. Four of them who were present at the trial were arrested with the demonstrators as they were leaving the court. There are varying reports of police violence at the protest. One woman said that the police tried to intimidate the activists, using obscene words and insulting gestures. The thirty-four women leaders were detained in Eshratabad Prison for ten hours before being transferred to Section 209 of Evin Prison. Eight of the youngest detainees were released without charges on March 6. The detention occurred just ahead of the planned gathering in front of the Parliament on March 8, in honor of International Women’s Day. In August 2006, Iranian women’s rights activists launched the “One Million Signatures” campaign to demand an end to discriminatory laws against women. Please support the campaign by clicking here. To express your solidarity with the activists and to demand the immediate release of the detainees, please write to: Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei The Office of the Supreme Leader Shoahada Street Qom Iran Email: info@leader.ir and istiftaa@wilayah.org Salutation: Your Excellency Dr. M. Javad Zarif Ambassador to the United Nations Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 622 Third Ave. New York, NY 10017 Email: jzarif@un.int Salutation: Your Excellency