We the undersigned, representing international women’s groups and activists, human rights organizations and activists, university and academic centers, and social justice initiatives, would like to express our support for Iranian women in their effort to reform laws and achieve equal status within the Iranian legal system.
(Committee of Human Rights Reporters: On Wednesday, 28th January, prison officials prevented Somayeh Rashidi from meeting with her family, despite the fact that Ms. Rashidi, an activist in the women’s movement, had previously announced over the telephone that those investigating her case had given permission for such meetings.
It should be said that the Rashidi family lives in Mashhad, several hundred kilometres to the east of Tehran, and had come a great distance in order to visit their (...))
(Change for Equality:: Somayeh Rashidi is an activist involved in the One Million Signatures Campaign. This women’s rights defender was summoned to court for interrogation, after her home was searched and her property seized. She appeared in court on December 19, 2009 and after a few hours of interrogation the investigative judge ordered an arrest warrant for her and transferred her to Evin prison. Somayeh has been in Evin prison since and has been denied the right to meet with her lawyers (...))
Change for Equality: Mahsa Jazini, an activist with the One Million Signatures Campaign in Isfahan, a journalist and a student activist who had been banned from continuing her education, was arrested in Isfahan at 1:30am on February 6, 2010, at her home.
Mahsa Jazini was a student activist in Allameh Tabatabie University, she was banned from continuing her education at the Masters level. According to reports, at the time of her arrest security officials stated that they were arresting (...)
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Change for Equality: Maziar Samiee, an activist involved in the Campaign and a student activist was arrested early this morning, February 4, 20010 (shortly after midnight) in his home. According to his mother, five security officers entered their home at midnight and after searching the premises and seizing property, such as books, personal writings and a computer, they proceeded to arrest Maziar. It is unclear where they have transfered this woman’s rights defender. The security agents (...)
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Change for Equality: Kaveh Ghassemi Kermanshahi, human rights activist and a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign was arrested earlier today, February 3, 2010, in his home in the city of Kermanshah.
Based on reports, security officials went to the home of Kermanshahi early this morning, with an arrest warrant, though according to his family it is not clear which government body has issued the arrest order and why it was issued. After searching the premises and seizing Kaveh’s (...)
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Iranian women’s groups and other rights organisations are fighting a much discussed proposed law which they say would encourage polygamy by allowing a man to take a second wife without the permission of the first in certain circumstances.
The proposal comes at a time when the country has been rocked by protests, in which women have played a major part, following the disputed re-election last June of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Although Sharia law permits a man to take up to four wives, (...)
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The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources of the arbitrary arrest of Mr. Kaveh Ghasemi Kermanshahi, a journalist member of the Central Council of the Human Rights Organisation of Kurdistan, of the “One Million Signatures Campaign” and of the student alumni group ADVAR, and Mr. Maziar Samïi, a student and also a member of the “One Million Signatures Campaign”.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (...)
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URGENT ACTION:
WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVIST DETAINED
24-year-old student and women’s rights activist Somayeh Rashidi has been detained in Evin prison since her arrest on 19 December 2009. Amnesty International believes she is being held because she campaigns for women’s rights. She has been prevented from seeing her lawyers and her family.
Somayeh Rashidi has been a member of the Campaign for Equality since its foundation in 2006. The Campaign for Equality, also known as the One Million (...)
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Over a month ago a group of Iranian women’s activists called for all defenders of women’s rights, women’s organizations and networks to take action in support of the women’s and civil rights movements in Iran, and to prepare measures of support and protest under the banner of “freedom and gender equality in Iran”. They requested, in case of repression in Iran, that these organizations act as the voices across the world of their sisters in Iran, and in that way demonstrate solidarity with them. (...)read more
Change for Equality: The following report, outlines the pressures faced by activists involved in the One Million Signatures Campaign, including arrests, summons, sentences, travel bans, and search of property. The report was compiled in November 2009 and updated in late December 2009. Several of the members of the Campaign who have been arrested in the past few weeks days are not included in the report, including:
Somayeh Rashidi, was arrested on December 19 after appearing in court in (...)read more
Translated by: Sussan Tahmasebi
Change for Equality: They have told your mother that their investigations are not yet complete. Shocked, your mother asks, “what has Mehrnoosh done that two weeks are required for investigations about her work?”
Write Mehrnoosh. Write on the interrogation forms marked with “Truth is Your Salvation.” Perhaps this time, if you are truly honest, they will set you free. Write my sister. Write that we were a few women, who dreamed of an equal world, a more (...)read more
Change for Equality: For whom should I write? For prisoners in Sistan and Baluchestan? For prisoners in Azarbaijan? For prisoners in Kurdistan? I am supposed to write for Atefeh. Dear Atefeh! Should I write for you or for Zeinab Jalalian? For Zeinab who on a daily basis senses the presence of the noose that is to be put around her neck? And she is miles away from you; in the center for youth offenders in Kermanshah. Should I write for Zeinab who when a mere child, fled the (...)read more
Change for Equality: For November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Campaign activists in Isfahan and Rasht developed two educational brochures. The brochures explain the history behind November 25 and provide information about violence against women for the general public. Besides defining the various types of violence faced by women, these brochures address violence that is specific to the region, including honor killings and female genital (...)read more
26 November 2009
An Examination of Policies Related to Women During the First Four Years of Ahmadinejad’s Presidency
Change for Equality- “Women…women are the crown on our heads” was the first sentence that Mahmoud Ahmadinnejad uttered sarcastically on the afternoon of June 24th, 2005, as one of the two candidates who were admitted to the second stage of the presidential elections, in response to the question of a female, foreign journalist about his future policies for Iranian women. In a small and hot car exhibition in eastern Tehran, where the atmosphere was made even more unbearable because of the smell (...)read more
Parvin Ardalan is a leading woman’s rights activist, writer and journalist from Iran. She was awarded the Olof Palme Prize in 2007 for her struggle for equal rights for men and women, but was denied to leave the country. One and a half year later she was finally able to go to Sweden to receive the prize. On the 6th of October she attended a conference about international solidarity within the feminist movement in Stockholm. This is the speech she held:
It’s my pleasure to be here to explain (...)read more
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