In July, responding to the intense crack-down on women’s rights activists in Iran, Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi wrote to the Honorable Ms. Louise Arbour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, appealing for a United Nations delegation to visit Iran to investigate the status of women who have been arrested and sentenced, as well as look into dangerous state of affairs for women’s rights defenders in general. Government authorities have arrested dozens of students and activists and some have been sentenced to more than 3 years in prison and lashes for erroneous charges ranging from endangering national security to propaganda against the state to taking part in an illegal gathering.

Dr. Ebadi’s letter stated, Sentencing women to jail and slashes who are against men having the right to more than one wife, or blood-money for women being half that of a man, or the fact that two women witnesses in the court of law count as one male witness… is against the standards of human rights… All these people were asking for was to ban such discriminations in favor of women. To have the right to be as equal as men in society… The painful point is that those sentenced are not going to be the only ones charged. I am sure that in the near future harsh sentences will face others as well. Hence, I announce to you my deep concern regarding the fate of these fellow Iranians. Please send a delegate to Iran to inspect the situation regarding women’s rights in Iran.

U.N. should probe women’s rights in Iran, Reuters, 27 August 2007

U.N. rights chief meets with activists in Tehran, Radio Free Europe, 4 September 2007

The Nobel Women’s Initiative sent the following letter to High Commissioner Louise Arbour in support of their sister laureate Shirin Ebadi and all women in Iran.

The Honorable Louise Arbour
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Dear Commissioner Arbour,
We women Nobel Peace Laureates of the Nobel Women’s Initiative are writing in support of a letter recently sent to you by Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi. In her letter, Dr. Ebadi outlined the dangerous circumstances facing women activists in Iran and appealed for a United Nations delegation to Iran to investigate the situation of women’s rights defenders.

We fully support Dr Ebadi’s request and wish to reiterate the immediate need for such an investigation. Together with Dr. Ebadi, the Nobel Women’s Initiative has supported the efforts of women’s rights defenders in Iran during the past year, most notably their grassroots movement calling for gender equality in Iranian law. In recent months, however, we have become deeply concerned about the safety and well being of activists inside the country. As Dr. Ebadi described in her letter, several women have been arrested and sentenced to long term jail time and lashes, solely for organizing peaceful resistance and speaking out against laws discriminatory to women.

We urge you to use your good offices to ensure activists inside Iran are allowed to continue their work defending women’s rights according to international law and Iranian constitutional law. We second Dr. Ebadi’s request for a United Nations investigation into the treatment of human and women’s rights defenders and ask for your support and assistance facilitating a United Nations delegation as soon as possible.

Thank you for your attention to this most serious matter.

Signed 17 July 2007:

Betty Williams
Mairead Corrigan Maguire
Rigoberta Menchu Tum
Jody Williams
Wangari Maathai