Action

20/7/2011

UPDATE: Iran: Maryam Bahreman Still Held Despite Order for Release

Women’s rights activist Maryam Bahreman remains in detention despite an order from the Prosecutor’s office in Shiraz to release her on bail at the start of July. Amnesty International considers her to be a prisoner of conscience, held solely for the peaceful exercise of her rights to freedom of expression and association. See WLUML's action alert here and/or follow the instructions in the Amnesty letter campaign.

18/7/2011

UPDATE: Iran: Women’s sports photographer, Maryam Majd, released on bail

Maryam Majd, a women’s sports photographer, arrested on her way to film the Women’s Soccer World Cup in Germany, has been released on bail, of 100,000 US Dollars, because of poor health. Maryam Majd disappeared on her way from Tehran, Iran, to Dusseldorf in Germany on the 17th of June 2011. She was held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, in ward 2A, controlled by the Revolutionary Guards. Ms Majd was expected in Germany for two months during the Women's Soccer World Cup 2011, in order to produce a photographic record of the different soccer teams.

4/7/2011

UPDATE: Iran: Maryam Majd held in ward 2A of Evin prison, concerns for her health

Maryam Majd, an Iranian photojournalist, who disappeared on her way from Tehran, Iran, to Dusseldorf in Germany is being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. She is in ward 2A, controlled by the Revolutionary Guards, according to a reliable source. It is now over ten days since she last spoke to her family. During that phone call, she was crying and asked her mother 'Please do something to release me from here'. Her family and friends are particularly concerned that she has access to her medication, which she takes daily. No formal charges have been brought against Ms. Majd so far.

21/6/2011

Iran: Photojournalist disappears on way to Women Soccer World Cup in Germany

Maryam Majd, an Iranian photojournalist, has disappeared on her way from Tehran, Iran, to Dusseldorf in Germany, according to Petra Landers, a former national football player. In a letter to the German Foreign Office, Landers who met Maryam Majd earlier this year during a trip to Iran, explains what happened: "When I wanted to pick her up at 10:30 am on the 17th of June 2011 from Düsseldorf airport, I realized that she was not on the plane. (Mahan Airlines confirmed that Ms. Majd was not on board). By phone she was no longer reachable because the phone was switched off. Since that day nobody in Iran or in Germany has heard from Maryam Majd." This is Majd's blog (in Persian)

31/5/2011

UPDATE: Saudi Arabia: Al Sharif released, 17 June Women2Drive campaign continues

Saudi authorities on Monday freed a woman jailed nine days ago for her role in promoting the right to drive for Saudi women. Manal Al Sharif, a 32-year-old computer security specialist employed by the oil giant ARAMCO, was detained May 22 after she defied the kingdom's ban on female drivers and posted a video of her action on YouTube, as part of a national campaign.

23/5/2011

Saudi Arabia: Call for release of activist challenging ban on women drivers

The international solidarity network, Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) calls for the immediate release of Manal Al-Sharif. Saudi authorities have arrested an activist who launched a campaign to challenge a ban on women driving in the conservative kingdom. The media spokesman of the Directorate General of Prisons in Saudi Arabia, Colonel Dr Ayoub Ben, has confirmed that Manal Al-Sharif has been charged with breach of public order and security, and with ‘deliberately inciting the media and other Saudi women’ to drive cars. She will be detained for a further five days pending investigation. There are reports that Al-Sharif has signed a pledge in prison not to drive again in Saudi Arabia. UPDATE: Al-Sharif’s prison sentence has been extended for a further ten days, starting from Thursday 26 May. Women’s rights activist Wajeha al-Huwaider was called in for questioning by her employers, Saudi Aramco, regarding her support for Manal, and forced to sign a pledge not to support the 17 June campaign. Al-Huwaider added the disclaimer that she will continue demanding the right of women to drive through different channels until it is codified into law.

13/5/2011

Iran: Call for release of women's rights activist Maryam Bahreman

On Wednesday 11 May 2011, Iranian security forces arrested Maryam Bahreman, an Iranian women’s rights and civil society activist in Shiraz. Bahreman is a founding member, and was the general secretary, of the Association of Women of Pars (Anjome Zanan Pars), which was established in 2003. As a member of this association, she was active in many women's movement activities including the One Million Signature Campaign. Bahreman was also a participant at the 55th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) conference in New York in March of this year, where she was on a panel about women and ICT.

22/3/2011

UK: Appeal for Expressions of Solidarity with Dr Usama Hasan

A recent hate campaign has been waged against the London-based academic and imam, Dr Usama Hasan. He has been victimised, accused of apostasy and has received death threats for his comments on evolution and the woman's right to choose whether or not to wear hijab. The Board of the Muslim Women’s Network-UK (http://www.mwnuk.co.uk/) strongly condemns the bullying and harassment of Dr Hasan.

12/1/2011

UPDATE: Gambia: Trial continues of WHRDs Dr. Isatou Touray & Amie Bojang-Sissoho

Dr. Isatou Touray and Ms. Amie Bojang-Sissoho are, respectively, the Executive Director and Program Coordinator for the Gambia Committee for Traditional Practices (GAMCOTRAP), and have for many years been active in the promotion of gender equality, rights of women and children, particularly in the fight against female genital mutilation and other discriminatory practices. In May 2010, the Presidency set up a commission of investigation into the allegation that GAMCOTRAP had been mis-managing donor funds from an organization called Yolocamba Solidaridad.

11/1/2011

UPDATE: Iran: Shiva Nazar Ahari’s Four Year Sentence Is Final, Says Lawyer

While various media have published news of an appeals court’s ruling of four years in prison and 74 lashes for human rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari, her lawyer, Mohammad Sharif has not yet been served with the ruling. ”I have not yet been officially served with the verdict, and unfortunately, the news was publicized in the media without my knowledge. I learned about the ruling through the press, too,” he said.