Women's rights activists jailed in Iran

Human rights organisations have issued an urgent appeal for support for a women's rights activist jailed in Tehran's Evin Prison.

Jelve Javaheri is a leading feminist in Iran and member of the 'One Million Signatures' campaign, a web-based petition aimed at forcing the regime to acknowledge women's rights in the Islamic Republic.

The 30-year-old sociology student was taken to Evin prison earlier this month following hours of interrogation at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

There she charged with "disruption of public opinion", "propaganda against the state", and "publication of lies" with respect to her contributions to the 'One Million Signature's website.

Immediately following her arrest Jelve's mother Gohar Bayat told reporters: "For the most part, Jelve's activities are focused on promoting equality between men and women. She is focused whole heartedly on changing laws that discriminate against women."

Fellow campaigner and journalist Maryam Hosseinkhah remains in continued detention in Iran since her arrest on November 18 on charges of disruption of public opinion and publication of lies.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) has issued statements condemning the arrest of the women.

"The Observatory expresses its deep concern about the increasing repression of the Iranian authorities against human rights defenders, in particular women's rights activists involved in the One Million Signatures Campaign, and recalls that more than 100 women's rights activists have been arrested, interrogated, or sentenced in the past two years and the government has raised over €1m by imprisoning the activists and releasing them on high bail."

The group has urged supporters to write to authorities in Iran calling for the courts to drop the charges against the women, put an end to the harassment of members of the 'One Million Signatures' campaign and conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders of 1998 which protects defenders of human rights.