Journalist and Women’s Rights Activist Serving Six-year Prison Sentence

Hengameh Shahidi, a journalist and women's rights activist, began serving a six-year prison sentence in Evin Prison in Tehran on 25 February 2010, after an appeal court upheld her conviction and sentence for "gathering and colluding with intent to harm state security" and "propaganda against the system." Amnesty International considers her to be a prisoner of conscience, held solely for her peaceful political and journalistic activities.

Hengameh Shahidi was an advisor on women's issues to presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi who ran in the disputed 12 June 2009 elections. She is a member of his E'temad-e Melli (National Trust) Party. The party's newspaper, E'temad was shut down by authorities on 1 March 2010.

Hengameh Shahidi had been previously detained for four months from the end of June to 1 November 2009, and has reported that she was tortured in custody and threatened with execution. At her trial on 4 November 2009, she was accused of taking part in demonstrations that protested the contested elections, giving an interview to the media, writing articles on her blog, singing statements addressed to the United Nations about human rights in Iran, and collecting signatures for the Campaign for Equality which seeks to change discriminatory laws affecting women.

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Pressure Indonesian President to Release Papuan Prisoners of Conscience

Please urge the President of Indonesia to bring about the immediate and unconditional release of Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage. For peacefully raising a flag, Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage may spend the next decade or more in prison in Indonesia. In December 2004, about 200 people participated in a nonviolent ceremony outside Abepura in Papua, Indonesia. Part of the annual ceremony was raising the "Morning Star" flag, a traditional Papuan symbol of independence. Police fired on the crowd and Karma was beaten on the way to the police station. Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage were sentenced to 15 and 10 years respectively. Amnesty International considers Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage to be prisoners of conscience who have been detained for the peaceful and legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression.

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