News

West Coast LEAF notes with concern the recent arrest of the sister of Nobel Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi, keynote speaker of the 2008 Equality Breakfast.

From the Learning Partnership website.

Nobel laureate and women's rights advocate Shirin Ebadi has been unable to return to Iran since the June 2009 presidential election and increasing threats and harassment earlier in the year.

Her 47-year old sister, Noushin – a professor of dentistry who is not engaged in any human rights work or political activity – was arrested in her home in Tehran by security officials on Monday, December 28.

The previous week, Noushin Ebadi had been contacted by officials and ordered to tell her sister to stop her work.

Among other prominent women's rights activists arrested in December are Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh, Shiva Nazarahari and Kouhyar Goudarzi and Mansoureh Shojaee, a women's rights activist and researcher who was instrumental in founding the One Million Signatures campaign.

For more information on recent arrests of activists.

Here is an interview with Dr. Ebadi on AWID.

Excerpt from declaration by Dr. Shirin Ebadi:

I hereby declare that my sister Dr. Noushin Ebadi who is a Medical lecturer at Azad University of Tehran was detained by four officers from the counter-intelligence agency of Islamic Republic of Iran. She was arrested on December 28, 2009 at her home in Tehran. At present, we have no information of her whereabouts.

During the previous two months, my sister had been contacted by the elements within the government and told in no uncertain terms to contact me and persuade me to cease my activities as a human rights advocate. It was strongly suggested that she should leave her apartment which is within the same block as my apartment in Tehran. She was told that her failure to cooperate with them will result in her arrest.

Iran is currently in turmoil and these unlawful and illegal actions will only have a negative effect. What is needed in Iran is peaceful dialogue and tolerance.

Shirin Ebadi