Iranian Government Says Rights Petition Supports “Terrorism”

August 26, 2008

Shrin Ebadi, Iranian human rights activist and one of the GCA Nobel laureates, is being attacked in the official newspaper of her country. The paper, which speaks for the government, recently accused Ebadi of supporting terrorism and prostitution. It said that the One Million Signature movement, which Ebadi helps to lead, is really an attempt by the United States to overthrow the government of Iran.

The One Million Signature movement is in fact a grassroots movement of Iranian men and women who want equal rights for women in their country. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, many laws were passed that made women second-class citizens. The marriage laws, for example, give fathers the right to force their daughters to marry, even if they are as young as 13. Women of any age are not allowed to marry without their fathers’ consent.

The One Million Signature movement was begun in 2006 after 70 Iranian women were arrested while demonstrating for equal rights. The activists, including Shirin Ebadi, decided to launch a campaign to gather one million signatures from Iranians in support women’s rights. The movement soon spread from the capital, Teheran, to other Iranian cities. But the activists have paid a price. Many have been sent to jail just for talking about the campaign. Two organizers, Mahboubeh Karami and Bahareh Hedayat, were arrested and beaten by police in June 2008. They are still in prison.

International Support

The recent article in the Newspaper of the Islamic Republic says that the One Million Signature campaign promotes prostitution. It also accuses Dr. Ebadi and her daughter of converting to the religion Bahaism. In Iran, converting to Bahaism is punishable by death. In fact, Dr. Ebadi has defended Bahaists in court and so the government is spreading the lie that she has converted to that faith.

The Iranian activists are calling on people of all nations to express their support for their cause and for the one Million Signatures campaign. You can help by writing to the Iranian embassy in your country and demand that the government of Iran stop harassing Dr. Ebadi. Tell them that people around the world want an end to human rights abuses in Iran.

Defend Dr. Ebadi and Human Rights in Iran

You can write to the Islamic Republic of Iran at its office in Washington, D.C. The address is:

Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20007