Four Iranian women’s rights activists have been sentenced to six months in jail for “spreading propaganda” against Islam. Specifically at issue is their work as part of the Million Signatures Campaign as well as articles they posted online, according to Agence France-Presse. The Million Signatures Campaign is a petition drive that seeks to end discriminatory laws against women in Iran.
Parvin Ardalan, one of the jailed women, was awarded earlier this year the Olof Palme Prize for her work in “making the demand for equal rights for men and women a central part of the struggle for democracy in Iran,” according to the Agence France-Presse. She was forced to accept her award by video-conferencing because her passport was seized at a Tehran airport, according to BBC News.
