Feminist prize winner barred from leaving Iran

international | gender and sexuality | other press Friday March 07, 2008 14:33 by pat c

Here is an Amnesty International article on Parvin Ardalan and how she was prevented from leaving Iran.

Iranian feminist and journalist Parvin Ardalan was prevented from leaving Iran on Sunday to travel to Sweden where she was to receive the 2007 Olof Palme Prize in Stockholm. She said that after she boarded a plane at Tehran airport she was told that she was not permitted to leave the country. "They took my passport and said I could get it back after 72 hours," she said. "The only reason for this move is to prevent me from taking part in the ceremony."

Parvin Ardalan

Parvin Ardalan is facing imprisonment for organizing a demonstration for an end to legal discrimination against women in June 2006. In April 2007, she was convicted of acting against national security and sentenced to six months in prison with an extra 30 months suspended. She remains free pending her appeal. During the trial, a peaceful protest was held outside the courtroom and Parvin was among 33 women arrested. She was charged with "gathering and colluding with the intent to harm national security, disturbing public order and disobeying police orders." No verdict has yet been reached on this.

Parvin Ardalan is well-known for her work for publications such as the recently banned Zanan magazine, and for the website Zanestan, closed down in November 2007. She is a member of the Women’s Cultural Centre and a founder member of the Campaign for Equality.

The annual Olof Palme Prize was created to promote peace and disarmament and to combat racism and xenophobia. It is awarded for an outstanding achievement in the spirit of Olof Palme, the former Swedish Prime Minister who was assassinated in 1986. The Palme Prize website says Parvin Ardalan was chosen because she has "succeeded in making the demand for equal rights for men and women a central part of the struggle for democracy in Iran."

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