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.
(Change for Equality: As March 8th, International Women’s Day, approaches its 100th anniversary, Iranian women’s rights activists took to the streets once again to raise awareness about the importance of this day and to discuss their demands with the public. Women’s rights activists in Iran have been celebrating this day for years, including in their private homes, in parks and through conferences and seminars. The increased pressure on women’s rights activists has forced them to take up more (...))
(Change for Equality: Mahboubeh Karami, Campaign activist was arrested on March 2, 2010 after three security officials showed up at her home at 11:00 PM. The security officials searched the premises and confiscated personal belongings prior to arresting Karami.
According to Mohsen Karami, Mahboubeh’s brother, the arrest order was issued on February 24, 2010. According to Karami’s brother, Mohsen Karami, security officials explained that the arrest was possibly in relation to recent (...))
Change for Equality: According to a news report by the Iranian human rights organization Kurdistan Human Rights Watch, the arrest order for Kaveh Kermanshahi, an activist with the One Million Signatures Campaign and a member of the human rights organization was renewed for one month.
Ms. Farangis Davoodi, Kaveh Kermanshahi’s mother informed the group that: “my son’s case has been sent to the Kermanshah court. As such, Kaveh’s lawyer, Mr. Mostafa Ahmadian, went to the court to follow up on the (...)
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Change for Equality:: Dorsa Sobhani an activist involved in the One Million Signatures Campaign in Sari (northern Iran) and a student activist was arrested this morning, Sunday March 7, 2010, as she arrived at her home.
According to reports by the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Dorsa Sobhani’s father had been threatened by security agents, and interrogated. Mr. Sobhani had been pressured to turn in Dorsa to security agents by this Saturday, March 6th, or otherwise face the arrest of (...)
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Change for Equality: Mahsa Jazini, an activist in the One Million Signatures Campaign and a journalist working with Iran Daily, who was arrested prior to February 12th, the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, was released on Isfand 11. This woman’s rights activist was released on a bail amount of 100 Million Tomans, roughly $100,000.
In other news, Nooshin Jafari, another women’s rights activist and journalist working with the now banned Etemad Daily, who was arrested on February 3, (...)
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Parvin Ardalan spoke to Jane Gabriel at the UN CSW about the link between a conversation with her father and her work fighting for the rights and freedom of both men and women in Iran, and why it’s time the international community changed the question: how can we help?
Jane: When you won the Olof Palme prize in 2005 it was "for making the equal rights of men and women central to the struggle for democracy in Iran". To what extent has the green movement taken on board your demands for equal (...)
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Human Rights Watch
At Least Six Recently Detained Without Charge
March 5, 2010
(New York) - The Iranian Judiciary should immediately release six women arrested in January and early February 2010, apparently in connection with their peaceful activities on behalf of the Mourning Mothers, Human Rights Watch said today.
Mourning Mothers is a civil society group established in June 2009 by mothers whose children lost their lives in state-sanctioned violence following Iran’s disputed June 12 (...)
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Human Rights Watch:
On International Women’s Rights Day, Iranian Activists to Open Campaign for Equality
March 6, 2010
(Beirut) - Iran should stop infringing on women’s rights and take immediate steps to meet Iranian women’s demands for full equality, Human Rights Watch said today. Iranian women’s rights activists have issued a call for freedom and gender equality in Iran in connection with International Women’s Rights Day on March 8.
Their campaign, Call for Solidarity: Freedom and Gender (...)
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Change for Equality: Over 500 feminists and activists and some women’s and human rights organizations in the Middle East and around the world have signed a statement in order to ask ending militarism, domination, war, discrimination and social inequities the Middle East Region. The statement, issued by Iranian women’s rights activists, appears below:
On 8th March 1857 women workers from weavers’ workshops and garment factories in New York poured into the streets seeking increased wages, (...)read more
Today is International Women’s Day: a day to celebrate the achievements in the promotion of women’s rights globally and to commit to advance them further. This is a day when at Amnesty International we seek to reinforce our work with local and international partners to end violence against women, both in situations of conflict and in the home and protect migrant women from exploitation and other abuses. In recent years we have also been campaigning in a number of countries to reduce maternal (...)read more
Change for Equality: Over 1200 women’s rights activists and equal rights defenders have signed a statement objecting to the draft "Family Protection" bill currently in Parliament, which they claim will erode women’s rights within the family even further. The statement issued by a coalition of women’s rights activists working to prevent the ratification of this draft bill, which they have dubbed the "Anti-Family Bill" appears below.
People of Iran, men and women
The Legal and Judicial (...)read more
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
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