Country: Iran
ICHR strongly calls on the government of Iran to stop violating human rights and stop harassment of Iranian women for their rights to freedom of Speech, and Choice.
Today Bahareh Zare Bahari is in fear of her life from the government of Iran, because of expressing her choice and standing up for equal rights for women.
Bahareh Zare Bahari has been living in Manila airport for two weeks seeking asylum, as she’s in fear that her social activism puts her at riskof being killed if she goes back home (Iran).
Bahareh Zare Bahari, Iran’s representative in the Miss InterContinental 2018 pageant, also claims the Iranian authorities are trying to silence her due to her public stand against the government.
The 31-year-old Iranian Beauty Queen was seen holding an image of exiled Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah of Iran overthrown in the country’s 1979 revolution and a flag of the former Iranian monarchy as props during the recent beauty contest.
As well as She has become a social activist against dictator government of Iran. She pursued a teaching career to better inform young girls that “they are not things, they are not toys, they are human and they have the same right as boys.”
Bahareh said she has been staying in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3 for 12 days since she arrived from Dubai.
According to CNN, Bahareh said she was told by an immigration official that Iran had requested the notice in 2018.
She defended herself and explained what she did during the pageant was ‘to try and be the voice of my people’.
She has told CNN via phone that she moved to the Philippines about five years ago to study dentistry and has a student visa valid until January 2020. But she was denied entry on October 17 after the trip to the Middle East.
Bahari also told CNN that “I have been living here since 2014 and I’ve not gone back to Iran”. “I explained to them many times, how can I have a criminal case in Iran when I’ve been living here.”
She did also add that Iranian authorities became outraged after she used an image of Pahlavi and the flag of the former Iranian monarchy as props during a recent beauty competition.
Bahareh is currently being held on the basis of the red notice for allegedly assaulting a fellow Iranian.
The Philippines Immigration Department released a press release last week saying international police agency Interpol has issued a worldwide request to arrest Bahari, known as a red notice.
ICHR strongly calls on the government of Iran to stop violating human rights and stop harassment of Iranian women for their rights to freedom of Speech, Choice, and Expression.