Activists Call For End To Discrimination Against Women In Iran

An Iranian Nobel Peace laureate and the head of rights group Amnesty International have made a joint call for an end to Iranian laws that discriminate against women.

In a statement to coincide with International Women's Day, Shirin Ebadi and Irene Khan said Iranian law treats women as if they were second-class citizens by excluding them from critical areas of political participation.

Ebadi and Khan said the women of Iran were entitled to equal status with men under the Iranian legal system, while the Universal Declaration of Human Rights denounces discrimination on grounds of sex.

They said recognizing women's equal rights was an essential requirement for the creation of strong, sustainable, and stable societies.

Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

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Posted March 8th, 2007 by Dinka