Amnesty International Reacts to Arrest of Mojgan Kashavarz, Activist Protesting Mandatory Hijab
Amnesty International responded to and condemned the arrest of Mojgan Kashavarz, a civil rights activist and protester against mandatory hijab.
Amnesty International reported on Friday, April 26, that based on videos circulated on social media, Mojgan Kashavarz, along with two other civil activists named Manirah Arabshahi and Yasmin Aryani, peacefully protested against Iran’s discriminatory and degrading mandatory hijab law in Tehran’s metro on International Women’s Day (March 8) by removing their headscarves and distributing flowers, speaking about their dreams of abolishing mandatory hijab and women’s solidarity.
Mojgan Kashavarz, a civil rights activist and protester against mandatory hijab, was arrested on Thursday, April 25, in front of her 9-year-old daughter’s eyes and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Based on available information, Ms. Kashavarz’s arrest may have been made for this reason.
According to Amnesty International, criminalizing women for not choosing hijab is an extreme form of gender discrimination and a kind of cruel, inhumane, and degrading behavior that deeply damages women’s human dignity. Iranian authorities must stop harassing, prosecuting, and imprisoning women who stand against this unjust tyranny.
On Wednesday, April 10, Yasmin Aryani, an actress and civil activist, was arrested by authorities, and one day later, on Thursday, April 11, her mother Manirah Arabshahi was also arrested and sent to prison. It is said that the reason for the arrest of these two was commemorating International Women’s Day by giving flowers to women in Tehran’s metro.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo commended the efforts of Iranian women to fight mandatory hijab at the “Courage in the Cause of Freedom Award” ceremony at the U.S. State Department. Mr. Pompeo also met with Masih Alinejad in February to “support the Iranian people and amplify their voices.”
Previously, Amnesty International called on Iranian authorities in a statement to stop harassing, threatening, arresting, and imprisoning women’s rights defenders who have peacefully protested against discriminatory and degrading mandatory hijab laws, and to immediately and unconditionally release women’s rights defenders arrested on this basis.
Source: Voice of America
