Journalism Student Arrested in Iran

If you watch or read the news, you know by now that there are many countries around the world to this day that do not honor the notion of freedom of speech. It is a routine occurrence for journalists to be arrested, kidnapped, jailed and tortured while doing their jobs. Unfortunately, even though we are living in modern times, not all countries have adapted to the notion of the freedom of press.

Last week, I came upon some very disturbing and disheartening news. Esha Momeni, a graduate student who was doing research for her thesis on the Iranian women’s movement was arrested and jailed in the Evin prison run by the Ministry of Intelligence in Iran. Esha was enrolled in the School of Communication, Media and Arts, from my alma mater, California State University, Northridge.

Perhaps if she had attended any other school, or if she was arrested in any other country, it wouldn’t have compelled me to write a blog entry. But this wasn’t the case. She very well could have been me. Many of her professors were my professors, most of her interests are probably my interests and her country of origin and arrest is where I was born.

On Oct. 15, Esha was stopped on suspicion of a traffic offense. The people who stopped her identified themselves as undercover police officers. She was taken to her parents’ home, where they seized her laptop and footage of interviews she had conducted. She was then arrested and taken to prison.

Evin prison, where she is being held, is known for its political prisoners wing. It’s also known for executions and torture. In 2003, Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was arrested for taking photographs in front of the prison. She was held there until she died, which the Iranian government claimed happened because of a stroke she suffered. However, doctors who examined her body found evidence of rape, torture and skull fracture.

Esha was researching the “Change for Equality” campaign, which was launched by Iranian women activists in September 2006. Her graduate professor Melissa Wall, whom I met once, has posted information about Esha on her blog. Her friends have also set up a site for her here. If you have a moment, please sign the petition demanding her release.

Esha’s goal was to help the United States and Iran understand each other better, and I’m sure that before she even ventured back to her country, she knew the risk involved. But she did it anyway, because that’s what journalists do. I hope she gets back home safe.

Here is an excerpt of her writing, which was translated from Farsi, from the “Change for Equality website:

I am dressed in white, head to toe. I am aware that the serenity and peacefulness of white does not represent my city, but when I am dressed in white I feel like a dove that is free, one that has not been earmarked and was never kept captive. As I stroll along the streets of my city, I feel like a bride, a bride that is walking towards a new promise, the dream of equality.

Iran and all that makes it unique - steep streets, narrow alleys and unmarked homes - is still the land of promise that we hold dear to our hearts. The women of this land are peacefully writing a glorious end to the bitter long story of inequality and injustice. Iran is still the covenant to those hands that would like to wash the mud of distress from the yarns of this land in the stream of peace and unity. Only then we can resurrect equality and knit white wings for the dove that represents unity. Meanwhile, behind every closed door, a young girl dressed in white is making history so that she can embrace the future with pride and honor.

My grandmother everyday practices her signature, as evidence of her existence and her uniqueness. Here in Iran, I, you, and our mothers are all brides dressed all in white, and with our peaceful approach we dance in the alleys from house to house so that our promise of equality and unity transforms the sounds of the chains on our feet to the melodies of an anklet.