Iran urged to free women's rights activist
Posted Sat Nov 10, 2007 11:00pm AEDT
Seven human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have called on authorities in Iran to set aside a sentence passed on Iranian women's rights activist Delaram Ali.
She has been sentenced to 2.5 years in jail and a flogging for taking part in a peaceful demonstration last year calling for greater rights for women under Iran's Islamic legal system.
Ms Ali has been free while awaiting the result of an appeal, but she has now been told to give herself up by today so the sentence can be implemented.
Several other women have also been sentenced to prison terms because of the demonstration.
They are currently free waiting the outcome of their appeals.
Human rights workers say the Iranian authorities have been harassing members of the group because they have been attempting to collect a million signatures in support of a petition demanding the end of laws that they say discriminate against women.
Human Rights Watch is among the groups calling for Ms Ali's release.
Its Middle East spokeswoman is Sarah Leah Whitson.
"In this case they are actually going to put her in prison they say, to serve a two-and-a-half-year sentence, which is a new level of intimidation and threat and punishment that we haven't seen against these very young women's rights activists," she said.
- BBC
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