Haleh Sahabi is the latest Iranian woman to die in political violence. On Wednesday, security forces attempting to cut short the Tehran funeral of her father scuffled with Sahabi, 55, who died of an apparent heart attack.
Sahabi had been let out of prison, where she was serving a two-year term for human rights activism, to attend the funeral. A photo of her holding a picture of her father - Ezatollah Sahabi, a prominent dissident in his own right - just before her death has now joined other iconic images of Iran's simmering discontent.
Across the Middle East, the role of women in political protests is striking and expanding. From Cairo's Tahrir Square to Tehran's Azadi Square, they have marched side by side or even in front of men, chanting slogans demanding democracy and greater personal freedom.
In Iran, since protests erupted following disputed presidential elections two years ago, 10 percent of those jailed for political reasons have been female, said Hadi Ghaemi, director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. That amounts to 100 of the 500 Iranians prosecuted and serving sentences and an additional 500 in pre-trial detention, he said.
For more information, please visit: IPS news
Haleh Sahabi is the latest Iranian woman to die in political violence. On Wednesday, security forces attempting to cut short the Tehran funeral of her father scuffled with Sahabi, 55, who died of an apparent heart attack.
Sahabi had been let out of prison, where she was serving a two-year term for human rights activism, to attend the funeral. A photo of her holding a picture of her father - Ezatollah Sahabi, a prominent dissident in his own right - just before her death has now joined other iconic images of Iran's simmering discontent.
Across the Middle East, the role of women in political protests is striking and expanding. From Cairo's Tahrir Square to Tehran's Azadi Square, they have marched side by side or even in front of men, chanting slogans demanding democracy and greater personal freedom.
In Iran, since protests erupted following disputed presidential elections two years ago, 10 percent of those jailed for political reasons have been female, said Hadi Ghaemi, director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. That amounts to 100 of the 500 Iranians prosecuted and serving sentences and an additional 500 in pre-trial detention, he said.
For more information, please visit: IPS news
