US State Department Strongly Condemns Repression of Women's Rights Activists in Iran
In a statement, the US State Department strongly condemned the severe repression of women's rights activists in Iran and called for an end to the harassment and imprisonment of women who are only demanding their basic and fundamental rights.
The statement, issued by US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, referred to the arrests in recent days of Yasman Ariani, Munireh Arabshahi, and Mojgan Keshavarz, whose only crime was peacefully protesting against mandatory hijab.
The US condemns the Iranian regime's crackdown on women's rights advocates. Yasmin Aryani, Monireh Arabshahi & Mojgan Keshavarz were just arrested for protesting the hijab laws. Nasrin Sotoudeh got 148 lashes & 33 years. The world should not tolerate this abuse of Iranian women. pic.twitter.com/wdY2ian0J0
— Morgan Ortagus (@statedeptspox) April 30, 2019
Reference is also made to the unjust one-year prison sentence for Vida Movahed, the initiator of the protest movement of the Girls of Revolution Street, and the 20-year prison sentence for Shaparak Shajarizadeh.
The statement recalls that human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been given a cruel sentence of 148 lashes and 33 years in prison.
Source: Voice of America
