Iranian activists arrested while collecting signatures for women’s rights

Two women’s rights campaigners have been detained and accused of spreading propaganda against the Islamic state, Reuters reported on February 16.

The women, Raheleh Asgarzadeh and Nasim Khosravi, were arrested while collecting signatures for a petition demanding greater women’s rights, according to activist Sussann Tahmasebi. They are currently in Tehran’s Evin prison, notorious for its high population of dissidents and the brutal conditions faced by inmates.

Since 2006, campaigners have been attempting to collect one million signatures in support of women’s rights in Iran. Tahmasebi says that more than forty activists have been detained since the campaign began, with most being released after a few days or weeks.

Iran’s legal system severely discriminates against women when it comes to divorce, inheritance, child custody and numerous other areas. A woman’s court testimony is worth half that of a man.

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