Authorities free two feminist journalists but close their NGOs

Journalists and feminists Shadi Sadr and Mahbuheb Abbasgholizadeh were released on 19 March after being held for two weeks. Sadr had to pay bail of 2 billion rials (170,000 euros). Abbasgholizadeh had to pay 2.5 billion rials (210,000 euros). Non-governmental organisations headed by Sadr and Abbasgholizadeh were among three NGOs closed down on 15 March on the orders of the Tehran state prosecutor. The three NGOs are Raahi (headed by Sadr), Markaz Karvazi Sazmanhaye Gheyr Dolati (headed by Abbasgholizadeh) and the Iran Civil Society Organisation's Training and Research Centre (ICTRC), which Abbasgholizadeh helped set up in 2002. ----------------------------------------------------------- 16.03.2007 One woman journalist freed but two others still in Evin prison Reporters Without Borders called today for the release of two women journalists, Mahbuheb Abbasgholizadeh and Shadi Sadr, who were arrested on 4 March for taking part in a peaceful demonstration outside the Islamic revolutionary court in Tehran. Most of the 33 journalists and feminist activists arrested that day were released by 8 March, but Abbasgholizadeh and Sadr are still being held in solitary confinement in Evin prison. They are charged with threatening national security, publicity against the Islamic Republic and participating in an unauthorised demonstration. A contributor to several pro-reform Iranian newspapers such as Jameh and Yas-e no, Sadr is the editor of two online publications, womeniran.com and meydaan.com. She is also a practising lawyer and often represents women who been sentenced to death by execution or stoning. Abbasgholizadeh used to be the editor of Farzaneh, a magazine about women's issues that has been closed down. Like Sadr, she writes for several pro-reform newspapers and is one of the co-editors of meydaan.com. She was previously detained from 1 to 30 November 2004 during a wave of arrests of online journalists. Jila Bani Yaghub, a woman journalist who was arrested at the same time as Abbasgholizadeh and Sadr, was released on bail on 7 March. ------------------------------------------------------------ 8.03.2007 - Twenty-two women journalists and rights activists freed, three still held The Iranian authorities have released 22 of the 25 women journalists and women's rights activists held in Evin prison north of Tehran between yesterday and today. Journalist Jila Bani Yaghub, journalist and blogger Mahbubeb Abbasgholizadeh and journalist and lawyer Shadi Sadr are still being held and are continuing a hunger strike begun yesterday in protest at their continued detention. ----------------------------------------------------------- 07.03.2007 Journalists and feminist activists begin hunger strike after three days in jail Reporters Without Borders today called for the immediate release of 25 women journalists and feminist activists held in Tehran's Evin prison, who, on the eve of International Women's Day, began a hunger strike to protest against their continued detention. Thirty-three women were arrested on 4 March while demonstrating outside the Revolutionary Islamic Tribunal in Tehran in protest against criminal charges brought against five activists who organised a women's demonstration in June 2006. “”We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the journalists and activists in custody in Evin prison,” the worldwide press freedom organisation said. “These women have not broken any law. They simply exercised their right to demonstrate peacefully.” “After censoring websites which relay and defend the demands of women's rights organisations, the Iranian authorities have now deprived their main contributors of their freedom.” It added. Scores of journalists and feminist activists gathered outside the Tehran Revolutionary Islamic Tribunal on 4 March in solidarity with five women on trial for “damaging public order and security”, “publicity against the Islamic Republic” and “taking part in an unauthorised demonstration”. The five were: journalists Nushin Ahmadi Khorasani, Parvin Ardalan and Fariba Davudi Mohajer and activists Shahla Entessari and Susan Tahmassebi. They had been charged on 12 June 2006 for organising a peaceful demonstration in support of reform of laws which discriminate against women in Iran. They were re-arrested when they left court alongside the demonstrators who had come to support them. A total of 33 women were arrested, 22 of them journalists. They were put into isolation cells in Evin prison. Three of them who are sick, Parvin Ardalan (journalist), Fatemeh Govarayee (journalist) and Mahnaz Mohammadi (activist) have been refused access to their treatment. Parastoo Dokoohaki (journalist and blogger), Saghar Laghayee (journalist and contributor to website meydaan.com), Saghie Laghayee (online journalist on meydaan.com), Niloufar Golkar (online journalist on we4change.com), Farideh Entessari (activist), Sara Loghmani (activist), Nahid Entessari (activist) and Parastoo Sarmadi (journalist) were all today released on bail while the others began a hunger strike to protest against their continued detention. Websites we4change, zenestan, kanonzanan and meydaan, which employ many of the journalists arrested on 4 March, have been censored in Iran after launching online campaigns backing a change in women's status. List of journalists currently held in Evin: - Asieh Amini, journalist and blogger (http://varesh.blogfa.com/) - Jila Bani Yaghoub, journalist, Sarmayeh and http://www.irwomen.com/ - Mahbubeb Abbasgholizadeh, journalist - Mahbubeh Hosseinzadeh, journalist and blogger (http://kharzar.blogfa.com/), - Zara Amjadian, online journalist (http://www.we4change.com) - Mariam Hossein Khah, online journalist (we4change) - Jelveh Javaheri, online journalist (we4change) - Zeinab Peyghambarzadeh, journalist and blogger - Maryam Mirza, journalist and blogger - Nahid Keshavarz, online journalist (we4change and zenestan) - Nasrin Afzali, journalist and blogger - Elnaz Ansari, online journalist (we4change and zenestan) - Fatemeh Govarayee, journalist - Minoo Mortezayee, journaliste - Nushin Ahmadi Khorasani, journalist - Parvin Ardalan, journalist - Nahid Jafari, online journalist (we4change) - Shadi Sadr, journalist and lawyer.