I came across this video of Dorsa Sobhani as a little girl saying her bedtime prayers in English.
Dorsa who is now college age, is presently in Evin Prison for her beliefs and Human Rights activities, the charges against her remain unknown.
1 Million Signature Campaign, was on March 8th in Sari, northern Iran. The 1 Million Signature Campaign aims to collect a million signatures to a petition to repeal all the discriminatory laws against women in Iran, while raising awareness about this inequality.
Ms. Sobhani is a Baha’i who was denied her right to higher education because of her faith, and she has also campaigned for those rights. Many students – Baha’is and politically active – have been banned from attending universities in the past. The “Committee for the Right to Education”, which Dorsa is a member of, campaigned to lift these bans. Since the disputed June election in Iran, many members of the committee were arrested.
This arrest comes after a raid on Sobhani’s home on March 2th, when six security officials entered the home in the middle of the night, searched it and confiscated belongings. On March 4th, six officials returned to Sobhani’s home, and physically and verbally attacked her father. He was then arrested, blindfolded, bound and interrogated and threatened for hours. The security officials told him that unless he turns in Dorsa, he, his wife and young daughter will be arrested and their home will be taken away from them.
On March 8th 2010 Dorsa arrived at her home where she was met by 12 security agents who proceeded to arrest her.
Dorsa Sobhani’s family is prohibited from visiting their detained daughter in the days leading to Norooz, the Persian New Year.
Dorsa’s lawyer’s visit to the judiciary has proven ineffective, as authorities have prohibited visitation even to her lawyer.
In the previous days, Dorsa’s family have written several letters to the Tehran Prosecutor, the Article 90 Commission, and the Judiciary Commission of National Security, requesting much more investigation into Dorsa’s case.
It is reported that authorities at the Revolutionary Court have refrained from redirecting the inquiries to the head of the judiciary, and have insisted that the efforts of Dorsa’s family are ineffective.
The reasons behind Dorsa’s arrest are still unknown.
