- From Amnesty International USA
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa09308.pdf
10 April 2008
UA 93/08 Arbitrary arrest/ Prisoner of conscience
IRAN Khadijeh Moghaddam (f), women's rights defender
Women's rights defender Khadijeh Moghaddam was arrested by
security officials on 8 April at her home in Tehran. She has
been accused of "spreading of propaganda against the state;
disruption of public opinion; and actions against national
security" and is held in Vozara detention center in Tehran.
Amnesty International believes she is a prisoner of
conscience, held solely on account of her peaceful
activities in support of equal rights for women in Iran.
Khadijeh Moghaddam is an active member of the Campaign for
Equality, which aims to collect one million signatures of
Iranians for a petition demanding an end to legal
discrimination against women in Iran. She was arrested at
her home at 11am when security officials forced their way
into her house. She was shown the warrant for her arrest
only after a lengthy argument. Khadijeh Moghaddam was taken
to a base belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards known as
Eshrat Abad, Tehran (also known as Prison 59), where she was
interrogated for several hours about her involvement with
the Campaign for Equality, before being brought before an
investigative judge of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The
judge also interrogated her, charged her and set her bail at
an amount approximately equivalent to US$ 112,000.
Khadijeh Moghaddam's family and friends spoke with her while
she waited to be transferred to the Vozara detention center.
She told them that she was arrested for hosting meetings of
the Campaign for Equality in her home and that the
investigative judge had asked her to identify seven or eight
members of the Campaign who had participated in these
gatherings. Later Khadijeh Moghaddam told the judge that she
was unable to pay the bail. According to a statement issued
by Campaign for Equality activists, the judge said that
Khadijeh Moghaddam would be imprisoned for a week before
being brought back before the Court for questioning, when
she would have another opportunity to provide the names of
the Campaign members and the bail amount. When she was asked
to make a statement in her defense, Khadijeh Moghaddam
stated: "...my way of life is my defense."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Dozens of activists and supporters have been arrested in
connection with their activities for the Campaign for
Equality, some while collecting signatures for the petition
aiming to end legal discrimination against women in Iran. As
of January 2008, the Campaign's website had been blocked by
the authorities at least seven times (see:
http://www.change4equality.com). Official permission to hold
public meetings has frequently been denied, and Campaign
activists usually hold their workshops in the homes of
sympathizers, some of whom have then received threatening
phone calls apparently from security officials or been
summoned by them for interrogation. At least one such
workshop was forcibly broken up by police, who arrested
those present, beating some.
Two women, Ronak Safarzadeh and Hana Abdi, remain detained
in the city of Sanandaj, Kordestan province (see UA 297/07,
MDE 13/130/2007, 7 November 2007) because of their
affiliation to the Campaign for Equality.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as
possible:
- expressing concern at the arrest of Khadijeh Moghaddam in
connection with her peaceful activities in support of equal
rights for women in Iran;
- urging the authorities to release her immediately and
unconditionally since she is a prisoner of conscience;
- asking the authorities to ensure that while in detention
she is granted immediate and regular access to her family
and lawyer of her choice and that she is protected from any
form of torture or ill-treatment.
APPEALS TO:
Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency Ayatollah
Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737,
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir
(In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Intelligence
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie
Ministry of Intelligence
Second Negarestan Street, Pasdaran Avenue
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Salutation: Your Excellency
Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@leader.ir
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Fax: 011 98 21 6 649 5880
Email: via website: http://www.president.ir/email/
Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran
His Excellency Mohammad Javad Larijani
C/o Office of the Deputy for International Affairs
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice Building
Panzdah-Khordad (Ark) Square
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Fax: 011 98 21 5 537 8827
(please keep trying)
Iran does not presently have an embassy in this country.
Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
Embassy of Pakistan
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 22
May 2008.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Use shortcuts: Do whatever is necessary to make your
letter writing as quick and easy as possible. This way,
letters will not be put off and they can be sent out sooner.
Start by making a generic file for each type of concern;
paragraphs on torture, the death penalty, disappearances,
denial of medical care and so on, can be copied into your
working file and edited as needed.
** POSTAGE RATES **
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To Mexico and Canada:
$0.69 - Postcards
$0.69 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.90 - Postcards
$0.90 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
To read the current Urgent Action newsletter, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html
----------------------------------
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa09308.pdf
10 April 2008
UA 93/08 Arbitrary arrest/ Prisoner of conscience
IRAN Khadijeh Moghaddam (f), women's rights defender
Women's rights defender Khadijeh Moghaddam was arrested by
security officials on 8 April at her home in Tehran. She has
been accused of "spreading of propaganda against the state;
disruption of public opinion; and actions against national
security" and is held in Vozara detention center in Tehran.
Amnesty International believes she is a prisoner of
conscience, held solely on account of her peaceful
activities in support of equal rights for women in Iran.
Khadijeh Moghaddam is an active member of the Campaign for
Equality, which aims to collect one million signatures of
Iranians for a petition demanding an end to legal
discrimination against women in Iran. She was arrested at
her home at 11am when security officials forced their way
into her house. She was shown the warrant for her arrest
only after a lengthy argument. Khadijeh Moghaddam was taken
to a base belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards known as
Eshrat Abad, Tehran (also known as Prison 59), where she was
interrogated for several hours about her involvement with
the Campaign for Equality, before being brought before an
investigative judge of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The
judge also interrogated her, charged her and set her bail at
an amount approximately equivalent to US$ 112,000.
Khadijeh Moghaddam's family and friends spoke with her while
she waited to be transferred to the Vozara detention center.
She told them that she was arrested for hosting meetings of
the Campaign for Equality in her home and that the
investigative judge had asked her to identify seven or eight
members of the Campaign who had participated in these
gatherings. Later Khadijeh Moghaddam told the judge that she
was unable to pay the bail. According to a statement issued
by Campaign for Equality activists, the judge said that
Khadijeh Moghaddam would be imprisoned for a week before
being brought back before the Court for questioning, when
she would have another opportunity to provide the names of
the Campaign members and the bail amount. When she was asked
to make a statement in her defense, Khadijeh Moghaddam
stated: "...my way of life is my defense."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Dozens of activists and supporters have been arrested in
connection with their activities for the Campaign for
Equality, some while collecting signatures for the petition
aiming to end legal discrimination against women in Iran. As
of January 2008, the Campaign's website had been blocked by
the authorities at least seven times (see:
http://www.change4equality.com). Official permission to hold
public meetings has frequently been denied, and Campaign
activists usually hold their workshops in the homes of
sympathizers, some of whom have then received threatening
phone calls apparently from security officials or been
summoned by them for interrogation. At least one such
workshop was forcibly broken up by police, who arrested
those present, beating some.
Two women, Ronak Safarzadeh and Hana Abdi, remain detained
in the city of Sanandaj, Kordestan province (see UA 297/07,
MDE 13/130/2007, 7 November 2007) because of their
affiliation to the Campaign for Equality.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as
possible:
- expressing concern at the arrest of Khadijeh Moghaddam in
connection with her peaceful activities in support of equal
rights for women in Iran;
- urging the authorities to release her immediately and
unconditionally since she is a prisoner of conscience;
- asking the authorities to ensure that while in detention
she is granted immediate and regular access to her family
and lawyer of her choice and that she is protected from any
form of torture or ill-treatment.
APPEALS TO:
Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency Ayatollah
Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737,
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir
(In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Intelligence
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie
Ministry of Intelligence
Second Negarestan Street, Pasdaran Avenue
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Salutation: Your Excellency
Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Email: info@leader.ir
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Fax: 011 98 21 6 649 5880
Email: via website: http://www.president.ir/email/
Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran
His Excellency Mohammad Javad Larijani
C/o Office of the Deputy for International Affairs
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice Building
Panzdah-Khordad (Ark) Square
Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Fax: 011 98 21 5 537 8827
(please keep trying)
Iran does not presently have an embassy in this country.
Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
Embassy of Pakistan
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Email: requests@daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 22
May 2008.
----------------------------------
Tip of the Month:
Use shortcuts: Do whatever is necessary to make your
letter writing as quick and easy as possible. This way,
letters will not be put off and they can be sent out sooner.
Start by making a generic file for each type of concern;
paragraphs on torture, the death penalty, disappearances,
denial of medical care and so on, can be copied into your
working file and edited as needed.
** POSTAGE RATES **
Within the United States:
$0.26 - Postcards
$0.41 - Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To Mexico and Canada:
$0.69 - Postcards
$0.69 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
To all other destination countries:
$0.90 - Postcards
$0.90 - Airmail Letters and Cards (up to 1 oz.)
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
----------------------------------
END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
----------------------------------
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