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The World March of Women condemns the attack on Iranian women on March 8, 2006
The World March of Women denounces the ferocious repression unleashed by Iranian forces of order on women demonstrating peacefully on March 8, International Women’s Day.
Responding to the call of World March of Women representatives in Iran, some 1000 women gathered in Park Daneshjoo (Student Park) in Tehran to peacefully demand respect for women’s rights, peace and an end to discrimination against women.
Ten minutes after the demonstration began (after the security forces photographed and filmed the demonstrators for follow-up interrogations), about 100 soldiers, police and special anti-riot forces of the Revolutionary guards charged the women to disperse them. A number of women and some male protesters were beaten repeatedly with batons.
Journalists, including several foreign correspondents, who filmed and photographed the event were rounded up and had their films confiscated.
Although the Iranian Constitution allows for peaceful assembly without a permit, the government requires a permit for public gatherings, which has always been denied to women’s groups.
Such repression is part of the repeated attacks on women’s rights activists since 2005, and such tactics are likely to increase in coming months.
The World March of Women denounces this repression and calls on women throughout the planet to show their solidarity with the women of Iran. You can send your messages to the March coordinating body in Iran: Royapayan@yahoo.com
Repression also in Brazil
The World March also condemns repression against members of the March in the State of Natal in Brazil. Four women who, the morning of March 8, were putting up posters, were approached by the military police officers in an aggressive way. The sentences "I abort, you abort, we are all illegal" were written on the posters. The police officers accused them of vindicating and encouraging crime. They were held by the police force from 4:00 am till 5:30 am and suffered prejudices, misinformation and authoritarianism.
