Amir Yaqoubali, a male supporter of the Iranian feminist campaign One Million Signatures, has been sentenced to a year in prison.
According to a feminist website, he was arrested as he collected signatures.The campaign seeks to change the Islamic republic's laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance and child custody by collecting signatures both online and in person.
In recent months four feminists -- Rezvan Moghadam, Nahid Jafari, Nasrin Afzali and Marzieh Mortazi Langueroudi -- were handed down suspended sentences of six months in prison and 10 lashes by Tehran Revolutionary Court for disorderly conduct in public.
Related posts: Iran cracks down on women's rights websites, Arrested Iranian feminists and the One Million Signatures Campaign, Another Iranian feminist arrested,
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These people are so ambitious and courageous, risking their lives for women's rights in Iran. They are being arrested even though they aren't even breaking laws!
Maybe *hopefully* these arrests and subsequent trials will bring more international awareness of the issue.
Unlikely, Alicia. If a nuclear weapons program is what it takes for us to impose light sanctions I doubt we're going to do anything about women's rights in Iran. Sad, but true. Aside from these things it's very hard to pressure nations to change their human rights stances. I mean, we can't even get Myanmar to admit that they're neglecting millions of people left with nothing by the cyclone. International awareness is useless without international action.
"International awareness is useless without international action."
How about Iranian citizens who live abroad? Would getting the word out to them and having them vote for reformist presidential candidates count as international awareness and international action?
If Iranian elections weren't rigged to begin with, then sure. Unfortunately the power base in that country is the mullahcracy, with the Ayatollah being the epitome of this.
Also, the true "reform" candidates get barred from the election itself, so they can't even run. If you can get thrown in jail for just saying women should be equal to men, how can someone run on that platform?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88148974
Reformers made little to no ground in recent elections.
"How about Iranian citizens who live abroad? Would getting the word out to them and having them vote for reformist presidential candidates count as international awareness and international action?"
you guys, don't forget that Iranians living abroad probably already know more about things like this than non-Iranians.
International "Action" is also very tricky as it cannot be overbearing and presented like a "savior."
Solidarity can make a difference. You can write about intellectuals and activists who are arrested and politely request from the Iranian government to release them.
As an Iranian women's rights activist I can tell you that there are no simple solutions. Maybe the BEST THING american people can do is to promote women's rights and human rights in the US. as this always affects the whole world. I can't stress this more.