Iran - Womens human rights defender Ms Somayeh Rashidi arrested

On 19 December 2009, women's human rights defender Ms Somayeh Rashidi was arrested after being summoned to the Revolutionary Courts for questioning. Somayeh Rashidi is an active human rights defender working on women's rights in Iran. She is involved in 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.

Somayeh Rashidi's lawyer, Afrooz Maghzi, stated that on the morning of 19 December Somayeh Rashidi, in follow up to a summons received after security officials searched her home, went to the Revolutionary Courts for questioning. Afrooz Maghzi was not allowed to accompany her during the interrogation, which lasted for about two hours. Afterwards she was charged and a temporary arrest order was issued in her case. Later she was transferred to Evin prison.

On 14 December at about 6.00am, five security officials came to Somayeh Rashidi's house with a search warrant. They searched the house, and her personal belongings were seized along with property belonging to her two housemates. According to Somayeh Rashidi, the officials refused to show her identification, claiming instead that she would find out in the future which intelligence agency they worked for. The officials ignored her protests about the search and seizure of her housemates' belongings.

Front Line has previously reported on the harassment and intimidation of various members of the One Million Signatures Campaign. On 5 November it was reported that at least eleven members of the campaign had been summoned for questioning to the Revolutionary Courts, and in April 2009, twelve members of the campaign were arrested and detained. Somayeh Rashidi herself was previously banned from continuing her studies at Masters level in the field of women's studies, as a result of her activities in support of women's rights.

Front Line believes that the arrest and detention of Somayeh Rashidi is directly related to her work in the defence of human rights, particularly women's rights. Front Line sees this as forming part of a pattern of ongoing harassment against women's human rights defenders in Iran, and fears for the physical and psychological integrity of Somayeh Rashidi.

Front Line urges the Iranian authorities to:

1.Immediately and unconditionally release Somayeh Rashidi and drop all charges against her, as it is believed that these measures have been taken against her solely on account of her legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights;

2.Ensure that the treatment of Somayeh Rashidi, whilst in detention, adheres to all those conditions set out in the “Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners”, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 45/111 of 14 December 1990”;

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