Parastoo Dokouhaki

Over the past week bloggers and journalists Ms Parastou Dokouhaki and Ms Marzieh Rasouli were arrested by Iranian security forces in their homes in Tehran and are currently in detention.

Parastou Dokouhaki worked as a journalist with feminist magazine Zanan which was published for 16 years before it was shut down by the authorities in 2009. She was also active in the White Scarf Campaign which fought for women's access to public stadiums in Iran. Marzieh Rasouli is a blogger and freelance journalist who has written for a number of reformist and independent publications.

On 15 January 2012 security agents entered the home of Parastou Dokouhaki in Tehran and arrested her. During the arrest they confiscated her computer and some personal belongings. She has reportedly been formally charged with “propaganda against the State” and is currently being held at Evin prison.

In 2007, Parastou Dokouhaki was arrested, along with 32 other women, as she participated in a protest following the trial of fellow activist Sussan Tahmasbi and was charged with “gathering and colluding against national security, disturbing public order and disobeying police”. She was subsequently acquitted and released. According to information received, she has not been engaged in any political activity in recent years.

On 17 January 2012, Marzieh Rasouli was also arrested at her home in Tehran. The security officers reportedly showed a warrant for her arrest which accused her of “acting against national security”. Her personal belongings, including her mobile phone and computer, were confiscated during the arrest. According to information received, she has been formally charged and is being held in Evin prison.

The arrest of the two women human rights defenders comes in the context of a new wave of arrests against journalists in Iran ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections of March 2012.

Front Line Defenders believes that the arrests and detention of Parastou Dokouhaki and Marzieh Rasouli are directly related to their work in defence of human rights, in particular to the legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression. Front Line Defenders is concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Parastou Dokouhaki and Marzieh Rasouli.