9 Women’s Rights Activists Summoned to Evin Prosecutor’s Office

Nine women’s rights activists in Iran were summoned to the Evin Prosecutor’s Office during the current week.

Amir Raisian, a lawyer representing the summoned individuals, told Iran’s official government news agency that during the current week, a summons was issued by the Evin Prosecutor’s Office for a number of activists in the women’s rights field, currently numbering 9 people, with the possibility that the number could be higher.

While the identities of those summoned to the prosecutor’s office remain unknown, Raisian stated that the reason for their summoning, according to what was written in the summonses, is “appearance for providing some explanations,” and said he currently has no further information on the matter.

Iran’s official government news agency reported on the summoning of women’s rights activists to the prosecutor’s office at a time when arrests of human rights activists, women’s rights activists, and lawyers in Iran have increased in recent months.

The arrest of Hoda Amid, a lawyer and women’s rights activist, and Najmeh Vahedi, a graduate student of sociology and women’s rights activist, on September 1st, are among these incidents. These two women’s rights activists were recently released on bail.

Previously, the arrest of Payam Darfshan and Farrokh Forouzan, legal practitioners, by the Ministry of Intelligence was also reported.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist who handled many cases involving civil activists and political critics, including those protesting mandatory hijab, was arrested again in June of this year. She faced various charges in several cases, but in a case where the charge of propaganda against the system was brought against her, she was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of espionage.

Following Nasrin Sotoudeh’s arrest, the U.S. State Department spokesperson expressed concern over the arrest of this legal practitioner and human rights defender and called on Iranian authorities to release her and others who are imprisoned solely for expressing their views.

Previously, Amnesty International had considered the Iranian government’s action of arbitrarily arresting human rights lawyers and women’s rights activists in Iran as an indication of intensified suppression of civil society.

Source: Voice of America