Women's Rights

Despite facing deeply-embedded cultural and legal discrimination, women in Iran have managed to make significant advancements in academic and professional life in the years following the Revolution of 1978-79. 

Although the attitudes of the Iranian public to women's rights are far more varied, the government of the Islamic Republic promotes discriminatory policies and has responded to the peaceful activism of Iran's women's rights movement with systematic oppression. In recent years, many women have been subjected to prison sentences or corporal punishment for their participation in the campaign for One Million Signatures for the Repeal of Discriminatory Laws. The documents below highlight the conditions faced by women in the Islamic Republic today. 

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Witness Statement: Shadi Sadr

A first-hand witness account from prominent human rights activist and criminal defense attorney Shadi Sadr.   Name: Shadi Sadr Place of Birth: Tehran, Iran Date of Birth: 1974 Occupation: Human ... Read more

Witness Statement: Tania Ahmadi Kaliji

Ahmadi Kaliji is a web blogger, and a vocal and outspoken critic of Iran’s death penalty. Her articles criticizing the stoning of women attracted the ... Read more

Witness Statement: Mahdis

“Mahdis” was a student activist and a follower of Ayatollah Kazemeyni Borujerdi. She participated in the Student Day demonstrations of 2002 and was arrested along ... Read more