A Court in Houthi-Held Sanaa Sentences Yemeni Women’s Rights Activist, Fatema Saleh Mohammed Al-Arwali, to Death
New Age
Islam News Bureau
07 December 2023
·
Houthi Court Sentences Yemeni
Women’s Rights Activist, Fatema Saleh Mohammed Al-Arwali, to Death
·
Peshawar High Court Eases Rules
for Afghan Refugees Marrying Pakistanis
·
Iranian Activist, Sepideh
Rashno, Condemns Her ‘Absurd’ Prison Sentence Over Hijab
·
Life Without Iranian Activist
Narges Mohammadi ‘Constant Struggle’, Says Family as They Prepare to Receive
the Nobel Peace Prize
·
Fooling Hamas, Israel Released
15 Israeli Arab Women Charged with Minor Offenses in
Exchange for
Hostages
·
From Teacher to Flower Vendor: A
Women’s Journey in Afghanistan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/houthi-court-yemeni-activist-fatema-saleh/d/131271
------
A Court in Houthi-Held Sanaa Sentences
Yemeni Women’s Rights Activist, Fatema Saleh Mohammed Al-Arwali, to Death
Houthi
security personnel outside a court in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 13, 2015. (AFP)
------
December 06, 2023
AL-MUKALLA: A court in Houthi-held Sanaa
on Tuesday condemned a women’s rights activist to death for spying, sparking an
uproar in Yemen and abroad against the Iran-backed militia.
Abdul Majeed Sabra, a Yemeni lawyer,
told Arab News that the Specialized Criminal Court of First Instance in Sanaa
sentenced Fatema Saleh Mohammed Al-Arwali, an activist and head of the Yemeni
branch of the Arab League’s Arab Women Leadership Council, to death for
gathering military intelligence and sending key Houthi locations to the
Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen to be bombed.
The militia had kidnapped Al-Arwali
while she was traveling to the southern city of Aden from Houthi-controlled
Taiz. She was abducted and family requests to know her whereabouts were
ignored.
The Houthis put Al-Arwali on trial early
this year, but barred her from receiving legal representation.
Yemeni officials, as well as local and
international rights organizations and activists, severely denounced the death
sentence and urged the militia to release Al-Arwali and end its harassment of
activists.
Dozens of Yemeni activists, lawyers and
academics signed an online petition demanding that the Houthis release the
activist, adding that her lawyer was barred from the courtroom during the first
trial session and Al-Arwali was condemned to a lightless underground detention
facility for almost a year.
“We urge that the death sentence imposed
on her be overturned. We urge human rights and civil society groups to unite in
opposition to this unfair sentencing that undermines justice,” the Yemeni
activists said in the petition.
Amnesty International and the
Geneva-based SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties also released separate
statements criticizing the death sentence and urging the Houthis to free
Al-Arwali.
“Amnesty International opposes the death
penalty in all cases, without exception, and calls on the Houthis to
immediately quash Al-Arwali’s death sentence and ensure she promptly receives a
fair trial in line with international standards or is immediately released,”
the organization said on X.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2421416/middle-east
-----
Peshawar High Court Eases Rules for
Afghan Refugees Marrying Pakistanis
Afghan
refugee girls leave school at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Islamabad
-----
2023-12-07
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on
Wednesday relaxed the rules for Afghan refugees who have married Pakistani men
or women.
The detailed judgment, penned by Justice
Waqar Ahmed, spans 33 pages and marks a significant step towards facilitating
the lives of Afghan refugees who have chosen to build their lives in Pakistan.
The court’s directive allows Afghan
nationals married to Pakistanis to apply for Pakistan Origin Cards (POCs), a
document that grants them certain rights and privileges associated with
Pakistani citizenship. This move aims to streamline the process for Afghan
refugees seeking to regularize their status in Pakistan and integrate into
society seamlessly.
The decision emphasizes the importance
of simplifying the marriage registration process for Afghan-Pakistani couples,
eliminating the mandatory requirement of a passport and ID card for POC
applications in cases of marriage. Additionally, the court mandates that POC
cards be issued promptly following security clearance, ensuring that eligible
individuals are not subjected to unnecessary delays.
In instances where Nadra (National
Database and Registration Authority) rejects an application, the court has
directed that the applicant be provided with a detailed written explanation of
the reasons for rejection. This transparency measure aims to safeguard the
rights of applicants and ensure fair treatment.
The court’s decision has been welcomed
by Afghan refugees and their Pakistani spouses, who have long faced challenges
in navigating the complexities of Pakistani immigration laws.
Source: brecorder.com
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40277194/phc-eases-rules-for-afghan-refugees-marrying-pakistanis
-----
Iranian Activist, Sepideh Rashno,
Condemns Her ‘Absurd’ Prison Sentence Over Hijab
6 Dec 2023
Iranian civil activist Sepideh Rashno
has condemned as “absurd” the four-year prison sentence she is facing over
hijab defiance.
Rashno’s outspoken response comes after
the regime sentenced her on several charges.
In a post on her Instagram account on
Tuesday, she said, "Four years of imprisonment for having hair is just as
absurd as if someone were imprisoned for having hands or feet."
Rashno added in a defiant statement
targeted at the Iranian regime: "Don't be happy either. Four years of
captivity cannot create a change in reality. You are defeated by [people’s]
awareness."
Rashno was arrested on July 16, 2022,
after a video went viral of a woman haranguing her for failing to wear a veil
on public transport. Rashno was later tortured into a televised apology for her
actions and for the confrontation. In the “confession” video, there were
bruises on her face suggesting she had been tortured. Rashno was released from
Tehran’s Evin prison after about 40 days on bail of about $27,000, a huge sum
for ordinary Iranians.
She has been found guilty of
"association and collusion with the intent of endangering national
security" and "propaganda against the Islamic Republic".
She now faces a sentence of 3 years and
11 months.
On Tuesday, Milad Panahipour, Rashno's
lawyer, announced the initiation of a third case for his client, revealing that
the appeals court had sentenced her to 4 months of definite imprisonment on
charges of “publishing obscene images on social media.”
Rashno gained renewed attention last
month when a photo circulated online of her meeting with protest rapper Toomaj
Salehi after his release from jail having been accused of “spreading
propaganda”’.
Source: iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202312069773
-----
Life Without Iranian Activist
NargesMohammadi ‘Constant Struggle’, Says Family as They Prepare to Receive the
Nobel Peace Prize
6 Dec 2023
The family of Narges Mohammadi has said
the imprisonment of the Iranian women’s rights activist is a “constant and
daily struggle” as they prepare to receive the Nobel peace prize in Oslo on her
behalf.
Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in
exile in Paris with their two teenage children, said the only help comes from
seeing her work internationally recognised and the solidarity she receives from
around the world.
Mohammadi, who was named as the winner
of the 2023 prize in October for her campaigning against the oppression of
women in Iran and to promote human rights and freedom, has been sentenced to 31
years in jail for multiple charges including spreading propaganda against the
state.
The 51-year-old, who is confined to
Tehran’s Evin prison and prohibited from seeing or speaking to her husband and
children, was last week banned from having any phone calls or visits, the Free
Narges Mohammadi campaign said.
Speaking ahead of the Nobel peace prize
award ceremony on Saturday – where Ali and Kiana Rahmani, both 17, will deliver
a lecture on their mother’s behalf – her husband said the daily reality of life
with Mohammadi being in jail with extremely limited contact is “very
difficult”.
“Of the last 10 years that I have been
outside of the country, Narges has been in jail for eight years of it. And
every day is stressful, every day is very hard. But the reality is when you
choose a path to promote human rights, it is a path that comes with costs. So
you mentally prepare yourself for the high cost of this path,” he said.
“And she has accepted it and we have
accepted it, but it certainly is not something that gets easier. It is a
constant and daily struggle.”
He added: “The reality is the only thing
that sometimes helps is to see the civil society globally express solidarity
with her, institutions globally express solidarity with her and us seeing that
the work she is doing is heard around the world.”
Mohammadi, a mathematician and physicist
with a passion for singing and mountaineering, has remained active while in
prison, publishing letters about the conditions of prisons and detention
centres and warning of violence against prisoners.
Her recent hunger strike after officials
refused to take her to hospital for urgent treatment without a hijab shows how
seriously she takes the responsibility of the peace prize, said Rahmani.
“She went on hunger strike, forcing
their hand to take her to the hospital without the hijab. It is a sign of how
she sees this prize as increased responsibility towards carrying a very heavy
load of being one of the symbols and one of the activists of the Woman, Life,
Freedom movement.”
An exhibition named after the movement
features texts written by Mohammadi from prison about significant events and
memories from her life, including her separation from her children, then aged
three, when she was imprisoned.
In one, she writes: “I encountered these
words and concepts – ‘execution’, ‘torture’, ‘solitary confinement’ – at an
early age; and fighting against violations of human rights became a mission for
me from that time on.”
Campaigners from around the world have
called on the Iranian government to release Mohammadi so that she can attend
the Nobel ceremony in Oslo.
But while Rahmani said the campaign is
positive because it increases attention to the plight of human rights activists
in Iran, she would not leave Iran – even if she was permitted to – without
being 100% sure that she could return. “She would not leave unless she is
absolutely sure she can go back to the country and play the role that she has
chosen to be a human rights activist who is effective. And she thinks that
effectiveness is only possible within Iran.”
Although he said government pressure has
silenced some of the protests in Iran, Rahmani believes more people are joining
opposition to the regime every day. “The regime is constantly bleeding support
and those who want fundamental change gaining support.”
But for the potential to bring about
regime change and an end to oppression, Rahmani said it is essential that the
women’s rights movement, labour and professional unions and all ethnic
minorities come together. According to Rahmani, the majority of Iranians
believe the path to change lies in street protest, not the government ballot
box.
It is critical that change comes from
within Iran, he said.
“The outside world can at best provide
some boost of morale by basically paying more attention to the cause, putting
more emphasis on what is going on in Iran. And of course, naturally, the
immediate result of this week will be that Narges will have a bigger voice in
promoting her agenda for human rights in Iran.”
But, he added: “All of this said, the
real change happens in Iran. The expectation that things that happen outside
will have that much impact inside the country is always overblown.”
Source: theguardian.com
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/06/life-without-narges-mohammadi-a-constant-struggle-says-family
------
Fooling Hamas, Israel Released 15
Israeli Arab Women Charged with Minor Offenses in Exchange for Hostages
December 7, 2023
Israel included Israeli Arab women who
had been arrested for posting pro-Hamas messages online after the October 7
attack in the list of prisoners who were released as part of the
hostage-release deal with Hamas.
Among the released detainees was Lena
Salah, 26, old from the town of Marar in northern Israel, arrested on October
15 and charged with incitement to terrorism and identification with a terrorist
organization. The prosecution claimed that Salah, who works as a Hebrew
instructor at an elementary school, posted a video on Instagram that compared
the State of Israel to a cancerous growth that must be defeated.
The only Israeli Arab woman on the list
who had been arrested before October 7 was Asma Abu Takfa, 32, from the Bedouin
city of Rahat in the Negev, detained last April on suspicion of planning to
carry out a stabbing attack at the Shechem Gate in Jerusalem and was stopped
before carrying out her plan.
None of them had been convicted of a
crime, and, according to the NY Times, all but one opposed being released as
part of the deal, according to their lawyers.
Having been released against their will
before getting their day in court, these women are beginning to pay the price
of being associated with Hamas in post-October 7 Israel. One of them, who
studied Computer Science at the Technion, has already been expelled. As
Technion spokesman Doron Shaham put it: “It’s very clear: Someone who was
released as part of a hostage deal with Hamas cannot study here.”
One of the released Israeli Arab women
was arrested and charged with identifying with a terror group for adding a
beating heart emoji to a post that read “Gaza today” with a photo of Gazans
riding on a captured Israeli military vehicle, and sharing a photo of Hamas
terrorists breaking through the Gaza border fence with the caption: “While the
army that can’t be beat was sleeping.”
Marwat Al-Azza, a journalist from
eastern Jerusalem who worked for NBC, among others, was arrested for posting on
Facebook: “I feel like I’m watching a movie where the director is Palestinian
and the heroes are from Gaza.”
Aya Tamimi, 20, also from eastern
Jerusalem, was charged with incitement to terrorism after she posted pictures
of the funerals of Jews who were murdered on October 7 and praised the killers.
Ahmad Massalha, an attorney for the
anti-Israel NGO Adala, told the NYT: “I wrote that my client does not want to
be released from the deal with Hamas. Being labeled as affiliated with Hamas is
worse than any punishment that the court would have given.”
One of the women, who spoke to the NYT
on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, said that during her
interrogation, she told police that she opposed Hamas and the killing of
civilians. She was sent home pending prosecution, only to learn, at home, that
she was being released in the Hamas hostage deal.
Needless to say, all these women will
remain under the scrutiny of Israeli security agencies for years to come,
without a chance of ever attaining a meaningful career in the only country in
the region where Arab women are allowed to participate as equals in the job
market.
This move, of punishing anti-Israeli
Arab citizens by not punishing them was ingenious. For one thing, they took the
place of other Arab women convicted of injuring and murdering Jews; and then
there’s the part about conveying to Israeli Arabs a reminder about the
behavioral boundaries they must now set when it comes to biting the hand that
feeds them.
Source: jewishpress.com
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/israeli-arabs/fooling-hamas-israel-released-15-israeli-arab-women-charged-with-minor-offenses-in-exchange-for-hostages/2023/12/07/
------
From teacher to flower vendor: A women’s
journey in Afghanistan
Fidel Rahmati
December 7, 2023
Laila, a flower vendor, is worried about
the lifespan of her flowers as autumn comes to an end and winter, with its snow
and rain, approaches. She transitioned from being a teacher during the
republican era to becoming a flower seller during the reign of the Taliban,
which has provided her with a satisfying income. She says, “Selling flowers
means selling love, and right now, I am in the business of selling love.”
The return of the Taliban administration
in Afghanistan marked a significant turning point in recent Afghan history, as
it brought about profound changes in the lives of women and imposed a crisis of
unemployment and economic hardship on the people. Since this turning point,
women have been less visible in public interactions, and according to reports
from Amnesty International, women have been excluded from the social sphere.
Laila, a 52-year-old woman, has turned
to selling flowers in this tumultuous environment. She was once a teacher and
claims to have educated hundreds of girls and boys with pen and paper. Before
the Taliban administration, opportunities for girls’ education were available,
but Laila’s husband did not allow their daughters to go to school, leading to
her separation from him. However, with the arrival of the Taliban government,
girls’ education has been prohibited, leaving Laila unsure of what to do with this
new restriction.
Laila says, “Perhaps nowhere else has it
happened that a mother is a teacher, yet her children are not allowed to attend
school.”
In Laila’s view, the inability of women
in Afghanistan to give birth to sons leads to deep conflicts between spouses.
Laila is one of the women who have faced this issue, and the lack of a male
child has strained her relationship with her husband.
Access to quality education for women in
Afghanistan has been limited, and Laila, who has endured many hardships for the
sake of her two daughters, is increasingly concerned about their future due to
these restrictions. She believes that proper education empowers women to
achieve financial independence, intellectual freedom, and a better social
position.
Throughout history, women have made
significant efforts to fight for gender equality. However, many differences and
limitations in women’s access to opportunities and resources still persist.
Changing this situation requires the collective efforts of society, including
both men and women, as well as political, social, and legal changes.
Why did the former teacher turn to
selling flowers?
After the rise of the Taliban in
Afghanistan and its new policy of canceling pension payments, Laila no longer
receives her retirement benefits. This ongoing situation and the economic shock
that disrupted people’s lives have put tremendous pressure on Laila.
Laila says, “I tried seeking foreign aid
to find work. I struggled for several days, but in the end, I would return home
at dinner time.”
After several days of effort, Laila
finally bought several flower branches from the flower vendors in Kabul’s New
City with the money she had. By selling these branches, which come in red and
white colors, she managed to cover her living expenses and support her two
young daughters.
Her business has expanded since then,
and she is content with her income. However, with the arrival of winter and the
end of the flower season, her business is dwindling. She is trying to find an
alternative source of income, but for now, she earns 600 Afghanis daily from
selling flowers, which she uses to pay rent and support her family.
Laila is frustrated by the societal
judgment that occurs when someone, especially a woman, engages in challenging
work in Afghanistan. She notes that while such work is stigmatized, doing
similar work abroad is considered honorable.
Despite her separation from her husband,
Laila remains concerned. She says, “I fear that one day, my husband and his
sons will see me in the streets selling flowers and still judge me, even though
there’s no shame in this work; the shame is in being burdensome.”
When Laila carries flowers in the street
for sale, she is often mistaken for a beggar, and the police try to take her to
the collection areas for beggars, as the process of gathering beggars has
recently begun in Kabul. However, Laila strives to continue her work more
systematically, wearing clean clothes. In some cases, she is forced to hide her
flowers.
Currently, Laila faces other crises that
have caused significant concerns for her and her family. The primary reason for
these crises is the absence of a male child and the lack of a male guardian, as
per Afghan social norms.
Given that Laila lives alone with her
two daughters, aged between 19 and 22, they face larger issues. This issue is
one of the challenges women in Afghan society frequently encounter, and what
makes it more problematic is the “negative perception of others” towards three
women living without a male guardian.
When Laila and her young daughters try
to find a rental house, landlords often refuse because they lack a male
“mahram.” Laila, with tears in her eyes, says, “Generally, it may not be good
to say this, but in most cases, they rent the house to us because they think we
are not proper women, and they believe that we can fulfill any requests made of
us. Nevertheless, we are trying to find another house and separate from there.”
As Laila speaks about the challenges in
her life, she wipes away her tears with her shawl and says, “I achieved my own
desires, and my daughters received an education. That’s enough for a mother who
was a teacher in the past.”
Considering the prohibition of girls’
education, I asked Laila, “What did you gain from your education that made you
endure all these difficulties?” She replied, “Education taught me humanity.”
Laila’s life story represents the lives
of thousands of other women in this country. Women who face challenges such as
work, income, and difficult lives for various reasons, including domestic
violence, gender inequality, and hundreds of other difficulties, have never
tasted the sweetness of life.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/from-teacher-to-flower-vendor-a-womens-journey-in-afghanistan/
-----
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/houthi-court-yemeni-activist-fatema-saleh/d/131271