Last Update: Feb 23th, 2010
Arrests Statistics in a nutshell:
In the past three years, from the beginning of Campaign’s activity on August 27, 2006 until today, more than fifty activists of the One Million Signatures Campaign have been arrested. Many have been summoned to appear in court without an official arrest warrant; more than fifteen people have been summoned to appear at the offices of security forces, and have been repeatedly interrogated.
Some of the legal cases against them are still waiting for the court’s final ruling while a few such as Aliyeh Eghdamdoost are serving long prison sentences. Most activists are released on provision of personal or third party guarantees or the posting of bail; a total of $465,418 in third party guarantees and $232,205 in bail is the price Campaign activists have paid for temporary freedom until their court date or while waiting for the court’s final ruling.
The Many Faces of Pressure:
The pretext for most of the arrests is collecting signatures including in parks, in the metro, in the mountains, and until now sixteen people have been arrested in Tehran and been sent to prison. They have received varying treatment in the courts, ranging from acquittal to one year suspended sentences.Two of the Campaign activists have been arrested and arraigned for working on two websites “Zanestan” and “Change for Equality”. Similarly, one person was arrested for conducting interviews and videotaping Campaign members, two individuals for hosting gatherings at their home and one for speaking to media and spreading news about the arrest of her spouse.
Twenty-five individuals were arrested for organizing and or participating in a workshop in the city of Khorramabad. All other detainees besides three were released after twelve hours and no legal case was brought against them.
Unofficial summons and search of homes of women rights’ activists are among other forms of pressure on these equality-seeking activists. In addition, membership in the One Million Signatures Campaign has been used as an excuse for more pressure against activists which undergo interrogations for other reasons.
During the 42 months since the start of the One Million Signatures Campaign, on average 2 campaign members have been arrested, interrogated, or a court case was opened for them every month. Meanwhile, according to reports by women’s rights defenders and campaign members in other provinces, several campaign members have been interrogated in cities such as Esfahan, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Anzali, Rasht, and Hamedan.
Besides detentions and charges, at least seven (7) members of the campaign have so far been prevented from leaving the country by security forces. Several campaign members have been expelled from their universities and are banned from continued education. At least two (2) members have been fired and are banned from working in their own profession.
Calendar of Arrests:
June 12th, 2006: At least seventy (70) activists were arrested for participating in a peaceful gathering in 7th Tir Square in Tehran. At the present time details of only fourteen (14) of these cases are available.December 15th, 2006: Zeinab Peighambarzadeh. Charge: Collecting Signatures, Tehran-Karaj Subway.
January 10th, 2007: Nasim Sarabandi and Fatemeh Dehdashti. Charge: Collecting Signatures, Tehran Subway, Sadeghiyyeh.
On January 26th, 2007: Three (3) activists from a women's cultural center were arrested en route to Delhi via Dubai to participate in an educational workshop for journalists. Details of one of these cases are still not available.
March 4th, 2007: Thirty-three (33) activists were arrested as part of a peaceful silent protest in front of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran; Twelve (12) of which were either acquitted or their case was dropped.
March 8th, 2007: seven (7) women's activists arrested in Baharestan Square in front of the Iranian parliament in Tehran where they were involved in a peaceful protest. Details of four of these cases are unknown.
April 2nd, 2007: Saiedeh Amin, Sara Imanian, Mahboubeh Hosseinzadeh, Nahid Keshavarz and Homayoun Nami. Charge: Collecting Signatures, Laleh Park, Tehran.
June 10th, 2007: Ehteram Shadfar and her neighbor. Charges: collecting signatures, Tehran.
September 14th, 2007: Amir Yaghoubali, Collecting Signatures, Charges: Andisheh Park, Tehran.
September 14th, 2007: Arrest of twenty-five people at a Campaign workshop in Khorramabad.
November 2007: Arrest of Maryam Hosseinkhah—Charge: Activities in the Site of the Campaign, Change for Equality.
December 2007: Arrest of Jelve Javaheri—Charge: Activities in the Site of the Campaign, Change for Equality.
February 13th, 2008: Raheleh Asgarizadeh, Nasim Khosravi. Charge: collecting signatures, Daneshjoo Park, Tehran.
April 8th, 2008: Khadijeh Moghaddam. Charge: organizing Campaign gatherings at her home.
June 12th is celebrated as the anniversary of the first peaceful gathering of women's rights activists in 7th Tir Square in Tehran. In 2008 five (5) activists were arrested in Tehran on this day for trying to commemorate the original gathering.
October 12th, 2008: Parastou Allahyari’s residence searched, and she is summoned to the Revolutionary Court.
October 15th, 2008: Esha Momeni. Charge: Interviewing Campaign activists, Modarres Highway, Tehran.
January 29th, 2009: Nafiseh Azad and Beygard Ebrahimi. Charge: Collecting Signatures, near Tehran.
April 25th, 2009: Maryam Malek arrested. Charge: endangering national security through propaganda against the state and membership of the One Million Signatures Campaign.
May 1st, 2009: Jelveh Javaheri arrested. Charge: endangering national security through propaganda, membership of the One Million Signatures Campaign, illegal assembly, and conspiracy.
Post June 12th Election Arrests:
Most of the activists named below have been charged with action against national security through activism in the One Million Signatures Campaign and through carrying out activities with intent on empowering women.
July 9th, 2009: Kaveh Mozaffari
July 17th, 2009: Shadi Sadr
October 25th, 2009: Raheleh Asgarizadeh
November 4th, 2009: Somayeh Rashidi and Vahideh Molavi
November 23rd, 2009: Mehrnoosh Etemadi, Isfahan.
December 5th, 2009: Hayedeh Tabesh, Isfahan.
December 19th, 2009: Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh and Somayeh Rashidi
December 20th, 2009: Shiva Nazar Ahari
December 27th, 2009: Atiyeh Yousefi
December 29th, 2009: Mansoureh Shojai
December 30th, 2009: Bahareh Hedayat
January 1st, 2009: Parisa Kakaee
February 6th, 2010: Maziyar Samiyi
Febraury 10th, 2010: Maryam Ghanbari
