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 Urge Iranian Authorities to Release Women Human Rights Defenders (02/02/09)   In English) ( In Farsi) (11/04/08) For more information, please contact Elizabeth Jordan, Tel: 212 845 5298 |
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Alert Issued: July 18, 2007 UPDATE: Iranian women’s rights activist Bahareh Hedayat was released from jail upon payment of “high bail” on August 9, 2007. Ms. Hedayat was among eighteen members of the national student movement arrested on July 9. Some were gathered to mark the violent attacks against the student movement in Tehran that took place in 1999, and others were arrested during a raid on the group’s office. Ms. Hedayat could face especially harsh treatment because she was convicted on “national security” grounds earlier this year. A member of the One Million Signatures Campaign for women’s equality in Iran, she received a two-year suspended sentence due to her participation in women’s rights rallies. Iranian activists are calling for our support. They put themselves at increasing risk to ensure respect for all Iranians’ human rights. You can help by taking action today. Click below to read more about Ms. Hedayat, and take action to show your support for human rights activists in Iran.
Tell Me More Bahareh Hedayat, a 27-year-old human rights defender, is one of six members of the central council of the Tahkim-e Vadat, the influential national student organization in Iran. She is also the first woman ever elected to lead its human rights section. In addition, Ms. Hedayat is a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign, an effort to gather popular support to achieve equality for women before Iranian law. Ms. Hedayat was arrested on July 9, 2007 along with eighteen other leaders and members of Tahkim-e Vadat. According to reports, some of the activists were arrested at a rally marking the 1999 violent attacks against student activists, during which dormitories were raided by Iranian authorities and many students were arrested, detained and tortured. Later on July 9, others were arrested during a raid of the office of the alumni association of the organization. According to reports, Ms. Hedayat and several other activists have been able to phone their families to let them know that they are being held in ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of Iran’s intelligence agency. Human Rights First is concerned that Ms. Hedayat may be mistreated during her imprisonment. In addition, she may be forced to remain in prison to serve the suspended two-year sentence she received on May 26, 2007 for “acting against national security.” Those charges stemmed from her participation in protests against Iranian laws that discriminate against women. Ms. Hedayat and the hundreds of other Iranian men and women who are advocating for women’s equality are pressing for reform of laws that discriminate against women in the areas of marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance, among others. In August 2006 they launched the “One Million Signatures Campaign Demanding an End to Discrimination against Women.” Their peaceful efforts to call attention to the campaign and to gather support in Iran have been met with mounting repression. On July 11, 2007, Amir Yaghoub Ali was reportedly arrested and detained simply for collecting signatures for the petition as part of the campaign. After five days of detention he was transferred to section 209 of Evin Prison. It should be noted that collecting signatures for a petition intended to influence the legislature is not illegal under any of Iran’s laws. The rights enshrined in the 1998 Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, which was endorsed by all U.N. member states, include freedom of assembly and expression. Iran is also bound by Article 21 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which protects the right to peaceful assembly, and Article 19, which protects the right to freedom of expression. Therefore, the recent arrests, prosecutions and imprisonment of women and men engaged in a peaceful campaign for human rights are violations of Iran’s obligations under international law.
Sample Letter Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi I am writing to express my deep concern about the imprisonment of Bahareh Hedayat. I understand that the student leader and women’s rights activist was taken into custody on July 9 and remains in Evin Prison. I hope that you will ensure that she is released from prison immediately as it appears that she has been detained for exercising her rights under international law. Ms. Hedayat is one of dozens of student and women’s rights activists who are currently being persecuted by authorities in Iran. A number of women have so far been convicted of “endangering national security” for their participation in peaceful rallies that call for women’s equality before the law. In addition, men and women who are collecting signatures for a petition to reform discriminatory laws in Iran have been imprisoned. Human rights defenders in Iran should be allowed to assemble peacefully and to advocate for their basic rights. These rights are enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was endorsed by all U.N. member states, as well as in the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, which is binding upon the government of Iran. Therefore, the recent arrests and convictions of rights activists are violations of Iran’s obligations under international law. I ask the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to release Ms. Hedayat from Evin Prison. Iran should also comply with its obligations to protect citizens exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and expression. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. |
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Women’s Rights Campaigner among Students Jailed in Iran