Another 'one millions signatures' campaign activist arrested in Iran

Women’s rights activist Jelve Javaheri, a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign, was arrested in Iran on Saturday, Payvand News reported Monday.

After spending several hours in interrogation, Javaheri was charged with “inciting public opinion, propaganda against the state, and publication of false information” through the Campaign’s news site, Change for Equality. She has been transferred to Evin Prison, where fellow One Million Signatures Campaign activist Maryam Hosseinkhah has been detained for two weeks.

Javaheri is the fourth campaign activist arrested since October.

The Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development and Peace (WLP) posted a human rights alert Monday condemning the Iranian government’s repression of civil society. WLP is offering support to Iranian women’s rights activists by urging interested parties to write letters to leading Iranian officials protesting the recent arrests.

For the Payvand article, click here.
For the Women’s Learning Partnership news alert, click here.

Women's rights activist arrested in Iran

Maryam Hosseikhah was arrested November 18 under charges of “acting against Iran’s national security,” and publishing false information on the Women’s Cultural Center and the One Million Signatures Campaign websites, Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty reported Monday.

“Maryam and some of her friends were writing on these websites,” Hosseikhah’s husband Shahab Mirzayi said. “The issues are not political, they're social issues – they’re engaged in bringing equality for men and women. They want to take a draft law to the parliament. What they’re doing is legal and transparent. Unfortunately they’re facing these actions – it’s not clear why they’re being treated like this.”

Iran has increased pressure on women’s rights activists and members of the One Million Signatures Campaign. Two members of the campaign, Ronak Safarzadeh and Hana Abdi, were arrested in September and October, while activist Delaram Ali recently had her prison sentence suspended for participating in a protest.

Human rights groups have called on Iran to stop pressuring these activists.

For the full story, click here.

Afghan women's rights impeded by tradition

In Afghanistan, tradition still supersedes rule of law. IRIN reports that "men have the weight of prevailing traditions on their side and, especially in rural areas, exploit these to get what they want: An Islamic tradition, according to which a man can renounce his marriage simply by uttering the word 'talaq,' is still common."

The Leadership Council for Human Rights is currently conducting women's capacity-building trainings in four Afghan provinces, including Faryab (featured in the IRIN article), raising awareness at the community level of women's rights and empowering women through hands-on skill-building sessions.

For the full story about Afghan women's continuing struggles, click here.