18-Year-Old Iranian Jailed for Blogging About Women's Rights

UPDATE: Navid Mohebbi, the youngest blogger ever arrested, was released by Iran on Christmas Day! While governments and mainstream media have paid little attention to Navid's case, A Safe World for Women has led the way, using Change.org to pressure senior UN human rights officials into advocating for Navid's release.

On September 18, 2010, 18-year-old Navid Mohebbi was beaten, dragged from his home, and thrown into jail in Iran. He awaits sentencing in a small cell he shares with a convicted murderer. What was Navid's crime? Apparently, he's a threat to national security, promotes anti-Iran propaganda, and has insulted current and former leaders of the Islamic Republic. At least, that's what he was charged with. What did he actually do? He kept a blog supporting women's rights.

Yes, Kate Darlington reports on the Human Rights blog that Navid wrote about domestic violence, economic and education inequality, sex trafficking, and forced genital mutilation. Iranian intelligence would interrogate him about his involvement with organizing an International Women's Day Event and supporting the One Million Signatures Campaign, would remove the blogs he posted about once a month, and finally went after his person. Navid's arrest and expected harsh sentence are all because Iran is afraid of the power of bloggers to support a cause, and because he was a friend to the women of his country.

Now A Safe World to Women wants to be a friend to him. After breaking the story of Navid's unjust persecution, they launched a petition on Change.org to pressure the Iranian government to release the teen blogger. Navid has been held in solitary confinement for extended periods of time, denied contact with family or legal counsel, and given not even the semblance of a fair trial.

Though most of Navid's blogs have not been translated into English, his International Women's Day 2010 post has. He writes for Iranian women: "for the women of my own country who are being brutally suppressed in the most vicious manner, I wish a society without violence, oppression and without gender-specific violence." This is the kind of outrageous content he's been imprisoned for?

Please join with a Safe World for Women in pressuring key United Nations officials and the Iranian ambassador to the U.N. to intervene on Navid's behalf; these officials have the power to influence Iran's decision regarding Navid's treatment. In the struggle to improve women's rights globally, we need the support of exemplar male allies like Navid — and, in return, we must be there when his campaign for gender justice costs an ally his freedom.

Photo credit: Beverly & Pack

GOT A TIP FOR US? Is there a story or campaign in your area that we'd want to know about? E-mail us at womensrightstips@change.org. Please also follow Change.org's Women's Rights page on Facebook and Twitter.