Women’s Learning Partnerships, has condemned the new wave of arrests and pressures on women’s rights activists involved in the Campaign. Their statement, which highlights the recent arrest of Jelveh Javaheri and Maryam Hosseinkhah, as well Campaign members Ronak Safarzadeh and Hana Abdi in Kurdistan, follows below.

To take action in support of these women’s rights defenders visit their site.

Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP) strongly condemns the Iranian government’s unceasing repression of the civil society, especially the recent wave of arrests of Iran’s women’s rights activists. The latest in a string of arrests, One Million Signatures campaign member Jelveh Javaheri was imprisoned on Saturday, December 1 after undergoing interrogation at the security branch of the Revolutionary Courts. She is the fourth campaign activist arrested since October.

Maryam Hosseinkhah, a journalist and active campaign member, was arrested on November 18 and remains in Evin prison. Ms. Javaheri and Ms. Hosseinkhah have both been charged with “inciting public opinion, propaganda against the state, and publication of false information on the website of the campaign” of Change for Equality, a campaign for freedom of speech and women’s human rights.

Hana Abdi and Ronak Safazadeh, friends and active campaign members, were arrested in Kurdistan Province, Iran on October 10 and November 4 respectively, for unspecified reasons.

Also this past month, Delaram Ali was sentenced to 2 years 6 months in prison and 10 lashes for her participation in the June 12, 2006 peaceful protest in support of women’s rights.

Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP) is deeply concerned about the increasing number of women’s rights activists arrested recently. To date, over forty individuals have been arrested in relation to their peaceful activities in support of the One Million Signatures campaign.

To help these courageous women and to protest the wrongful arrests and sentencing of non-violent campaign activists, please write to:

Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Iran
Email: info@leader.ir
Fax: +98-21-649-5880 or +98-21-774-2228

Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi
Head of the Judiciary
Ministry of Justice
Park-e Shahr
Tehran, Iran
Email: Irjpr@iranjudiciary.com
Fax : +98-21-879-6671

Mr. Mohammad Khazaee
Ambassador to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10017, United States
Email: mkhazaee@un.int
Fax: +1-212-867-7086