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DemocracyAlerts

From time to time, the World Movement for Democracy issues alerts concerning participants and other colleagues who are, or may be, facing personal danger due to their work on behalf of democracy and for whom a vigorous response from around the world may be critical.

To see previous alerts go to www.wmd.org/democracyalerts/democracyAlerts.html.

The Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace (WLP) reports that on February 22, 2008, Parvin Ardalan, an Iranian women’s rights activist, writer, and journalist, was summoned to court in Iran.  Authorities issuing the summons did not provide information as to why she was being called before the court.  Ardalan is a founding member of the “One Million Signatures Campaign”—the objective of which is to pressure the Iranian government, through the collection of signatures, to end discriminatory laws against women in Iran.  Ardalan’s summons follows a number of recent arrests of women’s rights activists by Iranian authorities, including women who were collecting signatures as part of the “One Million Signatures Campaign.”  At present, no specific law exists in Iran criminalizing the collection of signatures.  The women arrested have been officially charged with “propaganda against the state.”

For more information, go to: www.learningpartnership.org/en/advocacy/alerts/iranwomenarrests0307

For a previous alert regarding the One Million Signatures Campaign, go to: www.wmd.org/democracynews/dec07.html#1