Country: Iran
ICHR strongly condemns the arrest of women’s rights activist Mozhgan Keshavarz, whom has peacefully protested against the obligatory hijab laws, and the government of Iran must release her immediately and unconditionally.
Women’s rights defenders, Yasman Aryani and Monira Arabshahi, were arrested last week and Vida Movahedi, was arrested last month for a peaceful protest opposing Forced Hijab, by handing out flowers on March 8th, has been sentenced to one year in prison.
Thursday April 25th, Mozhgan Keshavarz was arrested in front of her 8yrs old child at her home in Tehran. For protesting peacefully against Forced hijab.
Keshavarz was one of the women who took off their hijab and handed out flowers to hijab-wearing women on the subway on International Women’s Day. Ever since she has been threatened, intimidated and now arrested.
Yasamin Ariyani and Monireh Arabshahi, the other activists who accompanied her have already been arrested.
Vida Movahed the first girl of revolutionary steer whom protested against forced hijab by waiving her obligatory hijab, was also arrested and sentenced to one year in prison.
These brave women have not committed any crime, the have peacefully defended their rights to freedom of choice, which is one of the many human rights violations that’s happening in Iran currently.
Today in Iran the women whom are opposing the forced hejib are being stopped in the streets on daily bases & abused violently, threatened, degraded verbally, physically assaulted by batons & beaten in the face by the morality police, the police, IRGC, & the pro-government thugs.
After all of these daily abuses they are subject to an unfair trails by the government whom prosecutes and sentences them without due process and unjust trials.
“The government of Iran is going overboard with their suppressions towards human rights and women’s rights. They must abide by the international human rights laws and respect people’s rights to freedom of speech and expression.” Said Ardeshir Zarezadeh, Executive Director for Iran, and The Middle East at ICHR Canada.
He also added “The rules of obligatory hijab in Iran are gross violation of women’s rights to freedom of expression, beliefs and religion. Iranian authorities should immediately abolish these discriminatory laws.”
ICHR strongly demands from the Iranian authorities to end the persecution, threats, arrests and imprisonment of women’s rights defenders who peacefully protest against the discriminatory laws of forced hijab, and also call out the governments human rights violations. As well as the immediate and unconditional release of the women’s rights defenders whom have been arrested on these basis.