Iran detains Kurdish women after women's day gathering in Sanandaj: Watchdog
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian intelligence forces arrested four women from Kurdistan province following their attendance at an International Women's Day event in Sanandaj days prior, a human rights watchdog reported on Monday.
'On Monday, March 10, 2025, agents of the intelligence ministry arrested Leila Pashaei in Saqqez and Sohaila Motaei in Dehgolan without presenting a judicial warrant,' the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported on Monday, days after two female activists - Soma Mohammadrezaei and Baran Saeedi - were arrested in Sanandaj.
On Friday, women and various labor and civil rights activists gathered in Sanandaj to commemorate International Women's Day and chanted slogans in support of women's rights and against executions and honor killings, KHRN reported.
A joint statement was shared in the event by groups that participated in the event, condemning Iranian authorities for 'misogynistic' policies.
"In Iran, the ruling authorities have consistently pursued misogynistic policies to deprive women of their fundamental rights. Repressive laws such as compulsory hijab, child marriage, the suppression of individual freedoms, and the violation of reproductive rights serve as tools for controlling women and legitimizing patriarchal dominance," the statement said, as cited by KHRN.
Saeedi, Motaei, and Pashaei were detained during the Jin Jiyan Azadi (Women, Life, Freedom) protests in Iran sparked by the death of 22-year-old Zhina (Mahsa) Amini while in police custody in September 2022 after she was arrested for allegedly wearing a lax hijab.
Her death sparked Iran's longest protest movement in the past four decades. The movement grew into an anti-government revolution as authorities responded with violence. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands arrested.
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