IRN 002 / 0307 / OBS 023***

Arbitrary detentions / Obstacles to freedom of assembly

Iran

March 5, 2007

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), requests your urgent
intervention in the following situation in *Iran*.

 Brief description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed by the League for the Defence of Human
Rights in Iran (LDDHI) of the violent repression of a peaceful gathering
and the arrest of 33 women rights activists in Tehran on March 4, 2007.

According to the information received, these women were peacefully
gathering in the front of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to mark
International Women’s Day, which will be celebrated on March 8, 2007.
They were also protesting against the trials of six women human rights
defenders who are prosecuted in connection with their participation in a
peaceful assembly in June 2006, and with their involvement in the “One
million signatures” campaign [1] .

The 33 women who were arrested include Ms. Assieh Amini; Ms. Gila
Baniyaaghoub; Ms. Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh; Ms. Mahboubeh
Hosseinzadeh; Ms. Sara Loghmani; Ms. Zara Amjadian; Ms. Maryam
Hosseinkhah; Ms. Jelveh Javaheri; Ms. Niloufar Golkar; Ms.
Parastou Dokouhi; Ms. Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh; Ms. Maryam Mirza;
Ms. Saghar Laghai; Ms. Khadijeh Moghadam; Ms. Saghi Laghai; Ms.
Nahid Keshavarz; Ms. Mahnaz Mohamadi; Ms. Nasrin Afzali; Ms.
Talat Taghinia; Ms. Fakhri Shadfar; Ms. Maryam Shadfar; Ms. Elnaz
Ansari; Ms. Fatemenh Govarai; Ms. Azadeh Frghani; Ms. Samiyeh
Farid; Ms. Minou Mortazi and Ms. Sara Imanian.

Five of the six women currently prosecuted before the Tehran
Revolutionary Court were amongst those arrested on March 4, 2007: Ms.
Nahid Jafari; Ms. Sousan Tahmasebi; Ms. Parvin Ardalan; Ms.
Noushin Ahmadi-Khorasani and Ms. Shahla Entesari. Ms. Fariba
Davoudi-Mohajer is the sixth woman to be prosecuted in this case. One
of their lawyers, Ms. *Shadi Sadr* has also been arrested.

As of issuing this urgent appeal, all above-mentioned women remain
allegedly detained at Evin prison. The Observatory has received no
indication on the existence of official charges against them.

The Observatory strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of these
women, as well as the violence perpetrated by the police against the
participants at the peaceful gathering on March 4. The Observatory also
condemns the prosecution of the six women rights defenders in connection
with their peaceful demonstrations. This new wave of arrests
demonstrates once more the increasing attacks on women human rights
defenders in Iran.

 Actions required:

Please write to the Iranian authorities and ask them to:

i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological
integrity of all above-mentioned women;

ii. Release them immediately and unconditionally since their
detention is arbitrary;

iii. Drop all arbitrary charges against Ms. Nahid Jafari, Ms.
Sousan Tahmasebi, Ms. Parvin Ardalan, Ms. Noushin Ahmadi-Khorasani, Ms.
Shahla Entesari, and Ms. Fariba Davoudi-Mohajer;

iv. Put an end to all acts of harassment against human rights
defenders in Iran;

v. Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on
Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United
Nations on December 9, 1998, especially its Article 5a, which states
that “for the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and
fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in
association with others, at the national and international levels, to
meet peacefully” and Article 8(2), which provides that “everyone has the
right, individually and in association with others, to submit to
governmental bodies and agencies and organisations concerned with public
affairs criticism and proposals for improving their functioning and to
draw attention to any aspect of their work that may hinder or impede the
promotion, protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental
freedoms”;

vi. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights
standards and international instruments ratified by Iran.

Addresses:

– Leader of the Islamic Republic, His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed Ali
Khamenei, the Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan
Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Faxes: +
98.21.649.5880 / 21.774.2228, Email: webmaster wilayah.org

– President, His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Presidency,
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic
Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98.21.649.5880, E-mail:
khatami president.ir

– Head of the Judiciary, His Excellency Mr. Jamal Karimi-Rad,
Ministry of Justice Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Fax: +98.21.879.6671, Email: Irjpr iranjudiciary.com

– Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Manuchehr Motaki,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdolmajid Keshk-e Mesri Av,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98.21.390.1999, Email:
matbuat mfa.gov

– Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Chemin du
Petit-Saconnex 28, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 7330203,
Email: mission.iran ties.itu.int

– Ambassador Mr. Ahani, Embassy of Iran in Brussels, 415 avenue de
Tervueren, 1150 Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 762 39
15. Email: iran-embassy yahoo.com

Please also write to diplomatic representations of the Islamic Republic
of Iran in your respective countries.

***

Geneva-Paris, March 5, 2007

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this
appeal in your reply.

The Observatory, a FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection
of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in
their time of need.

The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the
French Republic.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:

Email : Appeals fidh.omct.org

Tel et fax FIDH : + 33 1 43 55 55 05 / 33 1 43 55 18 80

Tel et fax OMCT : +41 22 809 49 39 / 41 22 809 49 29

[1] mhtml:mid://00000010/#_ftnref1 See Urgent Appeal IRN 001/0107/OBS003, issued on January 17, 2007 as well as the Press Release of January
29, 2007. The meeting in June 2006 was held to protest against
discriminatory laws in Iran. The six women were subsequently charged
with “organising activities against State security” and with “organising
an unlawful assembly”.

---

Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme

International Federation for Human Rights - FIDH

17, passage de la Main d’Or

75011 Paris - France

tel : ++ 33 1 43 55 25 18 / fax : ++ 33 1 43 55 18 80

www.fidh.org