ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The rights of women and children in Iran are increasingly under threat, according to two reports from human rights monitoring groups published this week. Amnesty International accused Tehran of treating the activities of women’s groups and activists as criminal acts. “It is utterly shameful that the Iranian authorities are treating peaceful activists who seek women’s equal participation in decision-making bodies as enemies of the state. Speaking up for women’s equality is not a crime,” said Amnesty’s Interim Deputy Middle East and North Africa Programme Director, Magdalena Mughrabi, in a statement released on Wednesday. “Rather than addressing Iran’s disturbing record on women’s rights the Iranian authorities have once again opted for repression, accusing women’s rights activists of collusion in western-orchestrated plots in a bid to maintain their discriminatory practices towards women.” The rights group has documented more than a dozen women’s rights activists who have been interrogated by the Revolutionary Guards since January 2016. The women have also been threatened with imprisonment on charges related to national security, accused of espionage, and of conspiring with foreign parties to overthrow the government. In the face of the intimidation tactics, at least three organizations have closed or reduced their activity, Amnesty reported. The Feminist School, a website that posted reports on women’s issues and rights, has not updated its site since February. Members of the Campaign to Change the Masculine Face of Parliament, which seeks to increase the representation of women in Iranian politics, are facing legal cases against them on charges of national security. The women’s rights magazine Zanan-e Emrooz (Today’s Women) announced on July 26 that it was suspending its activities. Amnesty also cited the arrest and detention of Canadian-Iranian Dr. Homa Hoodfar, an anthropology professor focusing on women’s issues. Another report published this week by Human Rights Watch criticized Iran’s use of the death penalty on children. The rights group said that “scores” of children are facing execution, many after unfair trials. Referring to reports from Amnesty International and the United Nations, Human Rights Watch said that anywhere between 49 and 160 children are on death row in Iran, though the head of the country’s judiciary denied it. Iran has the second-highest rate of executions globally, second only to China. The organization Human Rights and Democracy for Iran has documented 31 executions in the month of August so far.
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