© Campaign for Equality
© Campaign for Equality
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	Printable version of this action

Firstly, women in Iran face widespread discrimination under the law.

• They are excluded from key areas of the state. They cannot, for example, be judges or stand for the presidency.
• Criminal harm suffered by a woman is less severely punished than the same harm suffered by a man.
  Evidence given by women in court is worth half that given by a man.
• Men are allowed to practice polygamy, and have an incontestable right in law to divorce their spouse. Women do not.

Secondly, the 2-year-old Campaign for Equality is not having an easy time as its activists work to end discrimination against women in Iranian law.

• Several activists have been arrested or tried for activities which are entirely legal, such as organizing peaceful gatherings or educational workshops, or petitioning for legislative change.
• The authorities have blocked access to the Campaign's main website from inside Iran at least 16 times.
• When they are denied official permission to hold public meetings, activists must hold their workshops in the homes of sympathizers. Some of them have then been summoned by security officials for interrogation.
• Campaign for Equality activists have also been prevented from travelling abroad. In March 2008, one member's passport was confiscated for 72 hours to prevent her from travelling to Stockholm to collect the Olof Palme Human Rights Prize for her work. In October 2008, another member was prevented from travelling and had her passport confiscated.

Dozens of women's rights defenders are known to have been arrested, summoned for trial or brought to trial since 2006. Most have been charged with vaguely worded security offences. Such charges are used by the authorities to limit their basic rights to freedom of expression and association as they seek to protect and promote women's rights in Iran.

Three members of the Campaign, Ronak Safarzadeh, Hana Abdi and Zeynab Beyezidi are currently detained as prisoners of conscience in Kordestan Province only because of their work for women's rights and the rights of Iran's Kurdish minority.

Article 9 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Article 13  Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State. Article 19 Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Article 20 Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

 ACT NOW >>>

Please write a letter on this case

• Please write to the Head of the Judiciary using Persian, Arabic, English or Chinese.
• Describe who you are and remind him that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, of movement and of association, and to freedom from arbitrary detention.
• Call for an end to the arrests and harassment of members and supporters of the Campaign for Equality.
• Urge him to initiate a review of Iranian legislation with a view to ending all legalized discrimination against women.

Mail your letter to

His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Head of the Judiciary
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave, south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 131 681 4737
Islamic Republic of Iran

Start your letter:       Your Excellency
Postage:                   HKD 3.00
Email:                        info@dadgostary-tehran.ir  
(In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)

 

An additional action on this case

You may send a non-religious greeting to Ronak Safarzadeh. Use Kurdish, Persian or English. You may mention Amnesty International and include your return address if you wish.

?? ?? ???? ??. ??????? ??? ???. ?.???  ??..???. ???? ?? ??? ???? ?.???. ?? ???? ??? ???.? 
means "We stand by your courageous efforts to bring about positive changes for Iranian women."

Ronak Safarzadeh
Zendan-e Zanan
Khiaban-e Ershad
Sanandaj
Kordestan Province
Islamic Republic of Iran

Start your letter:       Dear Ronak Safarzadeh
Postage:                   HKD 3.00