Yesterday, Iran’s Interior Ministry banned the Defender of Human Rights Center (DHRC), one of the country’s most prominent minority rights groups. Based in Tehran, the organization has been active in defending rights of women, political prisoners and minorities in Iran.  The organization was founded by several prominent Iranian lawyers , most notably, 2003 Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, right, who is currently president of the Center. (03-AUG-06)

This article reached www.humanrightshouse.org via the newsletters of World Movement for Democracy. It has been edited for republication here by HRH / Niels Jacob Harbitz.

Among the other founding members of the Defender of Human Rights Center are Abdolfattah Soltani, Mohammad Seifzadeh, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, Mohammad Sharif. The Center is a member of the International Federation for Human Rights and was the recipient of the 2003 Human Rights Award from the French National Commission of Human Rights.

In a message posted on the Center’s Web site, Ms. Ebadi called for solidarity with members of the Center whose responsibilities include reporting human rights violations that take place in Iran, defending political prisoners, and supporting families of prisoners financially and spiritually.  Members of the Center have been threatened with arrest should they attempt to resume activities.

 A call for solidarity from the President of the Defender of Human Rights Center (DHRC) is posted at:

http://www.payvand.com/news/06/aug/1093.html

For more information related to the banning of the Center go to:

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/08/E81DC00E-FC38-45AA-BC2B– 246F00889AA0.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp– dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080801312.html

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/08/activists-condemn-iran-for– banning.php

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060809-094503-4365r

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/fb847e9023d98e98325d023315a825c5.htm

Statement from Human Rights Watch — http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/08/08/iran13928.htm

Other relevant sources:

Shirin Ebadi’s personal website in Persian (the English version is still under construction) — http://www.shirinebadi.ir/

Nobel Prize page http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2003/ebadi– lecture.html