The Iranian One Million Signature Campaign : Urgent Press Release by The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT)

IRAN: Release on bail of two women’s rights defenders in spite of ongoing repression against the members of the “One Million Signatures” campaign.

Paris-Geneva, January 8, 2008. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), welcomes the release on bail of Ms. Maryam Hosseinkhah and Ms. Jelveh Javaheri [1], two women’s rights defenders active in the “One Million Signatures” petition campaign [2], but regrets that Ms. Hana Abdi and Ms. Ronak Safarzadeh, two other members of the Campaign, remain in detention in Sanandaj.

According to the information received, on January 2, 2008, Ms. Maryam Hosseinkhah and Ms. Jelveh Javaheri were released on bail after their bail amount was reduced from 95,000 euros and 50,000 euros respectively, to 4,000 euros each.

However, many women’s rights defenders remain prosecuted or detained because of their human rights activities. In this regard, the Observatory was informed of the whereabouts of Ms. Hana Abdi [3] on January 2, 2008. She is presently in arbitrary detention in Sanandaj, Iranian Kurdistan, together with Ms. Ronak Safarzadeh [4].

Ms. Hana Abdi and Ms. Ronak Safarzadeh

The Observatory points out that these events take place in a broader context of increasing repression of the Iranian authorities against human rights defenders, such as pro-reform students, women’s rights activists and intellectuals. The Observatory wishes to recall that Iran has committed to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights” by presenting its candidacy to the Human Rights Council 2006 election and had insisted in this regard on the fact that the country had “continuously put great efforts into safeguarding the status and inherent dignity of the human person as well as the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms”. In order to ensure the continuation of these efforts, the Observatory urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to conform in all circumstances with these pledges and with international human rights standards.

Accordingly, the Observatory urges the Iranian authorities to put an end to any act of harassment against all human rights defenders in the country, as well as to conform with Article 1 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, as well as Article 12.2, which states that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually or in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”.

THE OBSERVATORY FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS (FIDH-OMCT), PRESS RELEASE, January 8, 2008

For further information, please contact:

 FIDH : Gael Grilhot, + 00 33 1 43 55 25 18

 OMCT : Delphine Reculeau, + 00 41 22 809 49 39