Translated by: Sahar Mofakham

Thursday 23 October 2008

Feministschool: Six women rights activists are still in prison, Esha Momenie was arrested on October 15 2008 and held in Evin Prison section no. 209. Five other activists in Kurdistan ,Zeynab Bayazidi ,Hana Abdi , Ronak Safarzadeh , Negin Sheykholeslami, Fatemeh Goftari have been held in prison for months .repression on women activists still continue .

Esha Momeni in prison

Mohamadali Dadkhah ,Esha Momeni‘s lawyer said :Esha’s family told him that she was arrested because of her filming for her thesis .but according to the code 23 of constitutional low Esha didn’t do any thing illegally specially she filmed private dewllings with permission. For the release of the women prisoners: Two new weblogs have been set up to report on the latest news of the arrested women . ‘Free Azarmehr’s women ‘ is the web log for release of Kurdish activists and ‘For release of Esha’ is release of Esha momeni’s arrest.

Hana Abdi was transferred to Razan prison in Hamedan

Hana Abdi who was arrested last year in Sanandaj was transferred to Razan prison in Hamedan last Thursday her family was unaware of her transfer to another prison and she has not had any contact with her family since then.

Razan prison is located in Hamedan-Razan road the prison has a very bad sanitary condition and security.

Parastoo Allahyari’s home was searched

Parastoo Allahyari’s home, one of members of one million signatures campaign, was searched by security forces and confiscated materials related to campaign for one million signatures such as the booklets of effect of laws in women’s life and her lap top ,some of her CDs ,books and personal albums. she was arrested at her home and interrogated in the revolutionary court then released . As she had to leave the city for work she was allowed to leave and come back.

The initial arrest took place as Parastoo and her friends from the campaign were in the Laleh park discussing issues, they were forced to leave the park and as Parastoo asked for the reason, the security forces asked for her ID card which resulted in house search and arrest.

Continued objections to the suspicious death of Zahra Bani Yaghoub:

More than One year has passed from the death of Zahra Bani Yaghoub the doctor who was volunteered to go to one of the villages in Hamadan region to complete her doctorate. When she went to one of the parks in the region to meet with her fiancé, she was arrested and after a few days it was announced that she had committed suicide whilst in custody, a news that in no way could satisfy her family as they believe she was arrested illegally and was murdered in custody.

on Tuesday 22 ,2008 some students of pharmacology of Tehran university with some members of mother committee of one million signatures campaign and representatives of Iranian women focus web site handed over an objection letter addressed to Hashemie Shahroudie the head of judiciary. The letter contained objection to the prolonged process of investigation of Zahra Bani Yagoub’s death. More than 1000 students had signed the letter .

Condemnation to the cancellation of speech by Shirin Ebadi

The network of human rights NGOs in Asia condemned action of Tehran and Coala Lumpur to withdraw Ms Ebadi’s invitation Ms Ebadi had been due to deliver the speech entitled Islam and Cultural Diversity on 3 November. But an official stated: the foreign ministry had sent a letter ‘strongly advising’ the organisers not to go ahead with the speech.

‘We were told there would be big implications for bilateral relations,’ the unnamed official added: the Iranian diplomats were ‘pushing for Malaysia to call it off’. International Human rights campaign in Iran immediately responded by issuing statement and calling the’The joint actions by the governments of Iran and Malaysia as irrational’.

Mehrangiz Dolatshahi, who struggled for the ratification of the ‘Family Support Law’ in 1967

Mehrangiz Dolatshahi at the age of 91 died in Paris. The tragic news of the death of Mehrangiz Dolatshahi coincides with the increased actives on the issue of ‘Family protection Bill’ in the Islamic parliament. Mehrangiz Dolatshahi’s name is connected with ratification of the ‘Family Support Law’ in 1967 and 1974 an evident activities of the women’s movement. As for many of the activists of the women’s movement in their struggle against the ‘Family protection Bill’ is a reminder of the ‘Family support Law’ of 1967 a Law which was immediately overturned after the revolution and after 40 years the women activists are going through all the pains of achieving what was achieved then. hence the ‘Family Support Law’ in 1967 and it is also a reminder of the women’s movement then, with names such as Mehrangiz Dolatshahi who struggled for the ratification of the Bill. No doubt that Mehrangiz Dolatshahi was one of the activists who struggled to introduce the Bill and struggled for its ratification in the national parliament and its amendments in 1974. With the proposed amendments in 1353 polygamy had many constraints and conditions.

Mehrangiz Dolatshahi was born 1917 in Esfehan, she graduated in Germany and went on to receive her PHD in Social Science, she also was elected as an MP in 3 consecutive rounds in Kermanshah. She became the head of the International Council of Women and was also the first woman ambassador in Denmark and continued to represent Iran until the revolution.