Arrested Iranian feminists and the One Million Signatures Campaign

Three Iranian feminists were recently arrested and received suspended sentences of lashings and six months in prison for “acting against national security.”

Nasrin Afzali (pictured at right), Nahid Jafari, and Minoo Mortazi were found guilty of acting against national security, disrupting public order, and refusing to follow police orders. All the charges stem from their participation in a political rally outside a Tehran courtroom in March 2006.
A fourth female activist, Zeinab Payghambarzadeh, who attended the same rally, was given a two-year suspended prison term after being accused of similar charges.
The sentences will only be carried out if the women are found guilty of another crime within two years. All four women intend to appeal the verdicts.

The women charged are the activists responsible for the One Million Signatures Campaign, which aims to collect one million signatures for petition addressed to the Iranian Parliament asking for an end to discriminatory laws against women. You can find out more about the campaign from the video above and here.
Zahra Arzani, Jafari’s defense lawyer, said “people who take part in these projects should be appreciated and shown gratitude for doing this work, instead of being sent to prison and beaten up.”
The Feminist Peace Network and Global Voices Online have more.
Thanks to Roja, who I met in California this weekend, for all the great info.