Iranian women denied access to human rights websites by government

Two weeks ago, Iranian officials began restricting access to women’s human rights websites, according to a Human Rights First alert issued yesterday. This governmental action came in response to a web campaign initiated by women’s rights leaders. As part of the campaign, activists intend to gather the signatures of one million Iranians in an effort to prove to the government that women’s equality is desired by many and that legal reforms regarding women’s rights in marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance, and other areas should be enacted to reflect this widespread sentiment.

Denial of internet access and prosecution of dissidents are not the only human rights violation the Iranian authorities have committed recently. On June 12, 2006, a nonviolent demonstration abruptly ended when hundreds of protestors were brutally attacked by police with pepper spray and batons. According to Human Rights First, “Witnesses claimed that women were dragged along the ground by their hair and savagely beaten.”

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