Nine Iranian Women’s Rights Activists Summoned by Judiciary, Lawyer Says


The prosecutor’s office at Tehran Evin prison has summoned nine women’s rights activists, IRNA (the Islamic Republic News Agency) has reported, quoting Amir Raeisian, a human rights lawyer.

“The prosecutor’s office may issue more summons to other women’s rights advocates in the coming days,” Mr. Raeisian warned. “The authorities have said that they plan to question these individuals in greater detail about certain matters. That’s all we know at this time.”

“The prosecutor’s office has asked me and a few others to report to the Evin prison at a certain time and date,” one of the activists who wished to remain anonymous said.

[aesop_image img=”https://kayhanlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/فعالان-حقوق-زنان.jpg” panorama=”off” align=”center” lightbox=”on” caption=”Najmeh Vahedi and Homa Omid. Source: Kayhan London” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]

The security forces arrested four women’s rights activists earlier this year. Nameh Vahedi, a sociology graduate and Hoda Omid, a human rights lawyer were arrested on September 1 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) agents at their homes in Tehran. Parvaneh Mohammadi, a university student, was arrested by security officers on September 3. Maryam Azad, a drama graduate, was arrested at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on September 25 while boarding a plane headed for Istanbul.

The authorities released Hoda Omid and Najmeh Vahedi on November 6 after they posted bail, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Some of the activists had been charged with “undermining family values” and holding educational training workshops on a woman’s legal rights within a marriage.

 


Translated from Persian by Fardine Hamidi