In 2006, Alieh Eghdamdoost and scores of other women's rights advocates were
arrested at a peaceful women's rights demonstration in Tehran. Originally
sentenced to a prison term of three years, four months and 20 lashes,
Eghdamdoost is now serving a three-year sentence, making her the first woman
imprisoned for activism on women's rights in Iran.
Dozens of other activists have been detained and prosecuted and are at risk of
imprisonment, solely because of their work promoting gender equality.
At present, men have the sole right to divorce and to custody in Iran. In court, one man's testimony equals that of two women, and men can ban their wives from working outside the home. Although the state has taken steps to discourage stoning, it remains in the penal code as punishment for women who commit adultery.
help by signing a petition to Iranian authorities calling for the release of
Alieh Eghdamdoost and ending the persecution and prosecution of women's rights
activists. Click
here to sign
clipped from: www.alternet.org