Ms Khadijeh Moghaddam

At least eleven Iranian women's rights defenders, including Ms Khadijeh Moghaddam, Mr Kaveh Mozaffari, Mrs Jelveh Javaheri, Mr Parsa Kakai and Ms Mayram Malek, have been summoned to the Revolutionary Courts for questioning by the Judiciary and security officials. The defenders are members of the One Million Signatures Campaign, also known as Change for Equality, a campaign led by women in Iran to collect one million signatures in support of changing Iranian discriminatory laws against women.

Further Information

Khadijeh Moghaddam, Kaveh Mozaffari, Jelveh Javaheri, Parsa Kakai and Mayram Malek have recently received written letters telling them to report to the Judiciary. The summons were issued on 21 October 2009 and indicated that the defenders had three days after receiving the summons to report to the third security branch of the Revolutionary Courts. It is reported that in addition aforementioned women's rights defenders had previously received summons by telephone; they demanded written documentation before they would comply, based on the fact that in Iran it is not legal to issue a summons by telephone. Other defenders who remain anonymous began receiving telephone calls over the past weeks issuing summons.

The summons of the women's rights defenders follows ongoing harassment of the One Million Signatures Campaign's members. A number of them have been banned from leaving the country when their passports have been confiscated. Khadijeh Moghaddam has been barred from travel. She appeared in court on 1 November in relation to her participation in a protest in front of the Palestinian Embassy in support of the citizens of Gaza, during which she refused to obey the police orders. During the hearing she was informed that she had been banned from travel. Given that the ban was imposed six months ago, and usually expires after six months, her lawyer Nasim Ghanavi has requested that the court lift the ban.

Mr Kaveh Mozaffari has reportedly been arrested twice whilst his wife, Mrs Jelveh Javaheri, has been summoned five times and arrested twice. They are facing charges of actions against national security through publicity against the regime (a reference to Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code), and conspiracy and demonstrations for the purpose of disrupting peace (Article 610 of the Code), in addition to charges of disobeying police orders and disrupting the peace. Jelveh Javaheri has also been charged with illegal membership of the One Million Signatures Campaign.

Front Line believes that the summons of Ms Khadijeh Moghaddam, Mr Kaveh Mozaffari, Mrs Jelveh Javaheri, Mr Parsa Kakai, Ms Mayram Malek and the other human rights defenders is directly linked to their work in the defence of human rights, particularly women's rights. Front Line is concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of all eleven human rights defenders.

Front Line urges the Iranian authorities to:

1. Immediately drop the summons against Ms Khadijeh Moghaddam, Mr Kaveh Mozaffari, Mrs Jelveh Javaheri, Ms Parsa Kakai, Ms Mayram Malek and the other human rights defenders, as it is believed that these measures have been taken against them solely on account of their legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights;

2. Ensure the physical and psychological integrity of all the members of the One Million Signatures Campaign;

3. Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in Iran are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.