U.S. rights group calls for immediate release of Iranian women’s rights activists

Human Rights Watch has urged Iran to immediately release two women activists facing trial for what the group calls “politically motivated” charges, Reuters reported Tuesday.

According to the article: “New York-based Human Rights Watch said the two women were active in a drive to collect one million signatures in favor of greater female rights. They were among a group of women detained in March during a protest. The other women were later released.”

“There seems to be no end in sight to the Iranian government's persecution of women’s rights activists,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement sent to Reuters on Monday night.

Court hearings on December 18 and December 19 have been set for Jelveh Javahari and Maryam Hosseinkhah, HRW said.

According to the article, HRW noted that Javahari was charged in December with “disturbing the public opinion,” “propaganda against the order,” and “publishing lies via the publication of false news,” and added that similar charges were made against Hosseinkhah in November.

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