Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi’s sister, a professor in dentistry, Noushin Ebadi, Mansoureh Shojaee, a founder of the One Million Signatures campaign for women’s equality in Iran, and Morteza Kazemian, a journalist, were arrested the evening of December 29 by Ministry of Intelligence agents. Ebadi, who is out of the country, released a statement that her sister, who is not a human rights activist, was arrested simply because she is her sister and to put pressure on her to stop her human rights activities. Please take a minute to show solidarity with Iranian feminists as they fight for equality and freedom.
Demonstrations in Iran over the last several days against the theocratic regime have resulted in numerous arrests and at least 9 deaths of demonstrators. The One Million Signature campaign pre-dates these demonstrations that began with challenges of national election fraud earlier this year. The One Million Signature campaign “demanding an end to discriminatory laws against women in the Iranian law,” began in 2006. Periodically one million signature activists have been arrested and detained in Evin prison but this vibrant, determined and courageous feminist movement continues to grow.
Take a moment now to show your solidarity with the One Million Signature Campaign and Human Rights activist Shirin Ebadi by sending emails to protest these arrests and to demand women’s equality under the law and respect for universal human rights.
We must not be silent in the face of this oppression.
