[women-rights] Iran: Increasing attacks on women human rights defenders

FIDH Press release
29/01/2007

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), expresses its deepest concern
at the increasing attacks on women human rights defenders in Iran.

On January 27, 2007, Ms. Mansoureh Shojaei, Ms. Sedigheh Taghinia (alias
Tal’at Taghinia) and Ms. Farnaz Seifi, three journalists at the
forefront of the campaign launched last summer on women’s rights in
Iran, were arrested at the Imam Khomeini Airport, and prevented from
leaving the country. They were on their way to India to participate in a
journalism workshop, organised by the Shahrzad News website. They were
transferred to the 209 section of Evin Prison, in Tehran.

Before their transfer, police officers searched their houses, and seized
some of their personal belongings, such as cell phones, computers, books
and notes.

The three women were subsequently released on bail on January 28, 2007, in
the afternoon, without any official charges against them. Nevertheless, a
hearing will take place in two months on the basis of unknown charges.

The Observatory is extremely concerned at this new attack against the
campaign launched by Iranian feminist groups last August, asking for the
elimination of all forms of legal discrimination against women in Iranian
law, and asking the Iranian legislator to review existing laws to ensure
their compliance with international human rights conventions ratified by
Iran.

The Observatory recalls that earlier this month, the website of the
campaign was blocked by the Iranian authorities and fears that in parallel
to the growing support for the campaign in Iran, repression against its
animators will increase as well (see urgent appeal IRN 001/0107/OBS 003,
issued on January 17, 2007).

The Observatory urges the Iranian authorities to put an immediate end to
the judicial proceedings against Ms. Mansoureh Shojaei, Ms. Sedigheh
Taghinia and Ms. Farnaz Seifi as they aim at dissuading them from being
active in the women's campaign. More generally, the Observatory calls upon
the Islamic Republic of Iran to fully respect its international human
rights commitments, in particular the rights to freedom of expression and
to freedom of information, as provided, in particular, by article 6b of
the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General
Assembly on December 9, 1998, which states that "everyone is free (...) to
publish, impart or disseminate to other views, information and knowledge
on all human rights and fundamental freedoms".

For further information, please contact: FIDH : Gael Grilhot +0033 1 43 55
25 18 OMCT: Delphine Reculeau + 00 41 22 809 49 39