Amnesty International has reported that an American-Iranian student (she holds both American and Iranian nationality) has been arrested in Iran while doing work on the Iranian women’s movement for her Master’s thesis. Amnesty reports
Esha Momeni, a student and women’s rights defender, was arrested by Iranian security officials on 15 October. She is being held in Section 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran, which is run by the Ministry of Intelligence. She has not been charged with any offense, and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
Esha Momeni is a graduate student at California State University, Northridge, in the USA. She is also a member of a branch of the Campaign for Equality in California. She had been in Iran for two months to visit her family and to conduct research for her Master’s degree thesis on the Iranian women’s movement, for which she had conducted video interviews with members of the Campaign for Equality in Tehran.
More information on Esha Momeni as well as addresses to write letters to protesting her detainment can be found here and in an article at the Chronicle.
Other ways to help (thanks to Sharon Collingwood for sending these out to the Women’s Studies List):
There is an online petition here.
The American Islamic Congress also has a petition.
The World Organization Website has more on the story.
This activist site has a video that could be useful in the classroom (1:46 in length).
There is a student group on Facebook.
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