Iran: Further Information on Prisoner of Conscience – Released from Prison on Bail: Jelveh Javaheri
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/014/2008
21 January 2008
Further information on UA 321/07 (MDE 13/140/2007, 3 December 2007) Prisoner of Conscience - Released from prison on bail
IRAN Jelveh Javaheri (f), journalist and women's rights defender
Journalist and women’s rights defender, Jelveh Javaheri was released at 7pm on 2 January 2008 from Evin prison where she had been detained since 1 December 2007. She was reportedly accused of “disturbing public opinion”; “propaganda against the system” and “publication of lies” in connection with articles posted on the Internet, but is not believed to have been formally charged.
Jelveh Javaheri is a sociology student and an active member of the Campaign for Equality, which aims to collect one million signatures of Iranians for a petition demanding an end to legal discrimination against women in Iran. As well as serving on the Campaign's education committee, Jelveh Javaheri has written several articles for its website (http://www.we4change.info/). She has also written extensively on women’s issues for other websites and was one of the co-founders of the “Hastia Andish Centre” a leading women’s NGO, focused on promoting women’s rights, through education, from which she resigned in 2006.
Jelveh Javaheri was unable to meet an initial bail demand of $54,188 and remained in prison, until this amount was reduced to $5,420.
While detained Jelveh Javaheri continued with her activism, focusing on female prisoners in Evin. She managed, with the help of fellow detainee Maryam Hosseinkah and colleagues outside prison, to collect and contribute 60 books to the women’s library at Evin prison and to set up a fund in support of female prisoners. She also wrote articles about the condition of female prisoners and the impact of discriminatory laws and their contribution to women’s criminality and incarceration, which were published on the internet. The Campaign for Equality reported that the inspector of the female ward of Evin prison had declared that the presence of women’s rights activists like Jelveh at Evin prison was a blessing for female prisoners and asked her to convey recommendations for improving the condition of prisoners at Evin.
No further action is required at present. Many thanks to all those who sent appeals.