Hivos is deeply concerned about the conviction of Fatemeh Masjedi and Maryam Bidgoli by the provincial and appeal branch of Qom Province in Iran.
Fatemeh and Maryam have been convicted to six months imprisonment and paying a fine only for gathering signatures to change discriminatory laws against women in Iran. This is the first time that a person has been convicted for only gathering signatures. Moreover, the judges (both in province and appeal branch) consider the peaceful 1 Million Signature Campaign as a group aiming to overthrow the Islamic Republic.
Arrested
Fatemeh Masjedi and Maryam Bidgoli, the young Iranian women's right activists, were arrested by security forces in the holy city of Qom on 7 May 2009 and were released on bail after two weeks. Following a court hearing on 4 August 2010, the two women were found guilty of “propagating against the [political] system” and were both subsequently sentenced to a year in prison. Their prison sentences were both reduced to six months following a ruling by a court of appeal in Qom province on 7 December 2010.
Shadi Sadr, a well known women's rights activist and the lawyer of Maryam and Fatemeh said: "It is important for all of us to take action to stop the Judiciary of Qom to imprison women’s rights activists. If we let them to do as they wish, sentencing of the rest of women’s rights activist will become easier."
Great concern
Recent developments in Iran show a further crack down on civil society by the Iranian authorities, even lawyers who defend their clients under Iranian law are not safe from prosecution for just doing their work. Hivos expresses its great concern about the recent developments and urges the Iranian authorities to stop the prosecution and execution of peaceful activists, their lawyers and their family members.
