U.S. Student Jailed In Iran
California Woman In Tehran For Research, Family Visit Arrested, Amnesty International Says
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Esha Momeni's arrest comes about a year after several Iranian-Americans accused of stirring up a revolution were released from Evin prison after spending months in detention. All four denied the accusations. (AP)
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Esha Momeni, a graduate student at California State University, Northridge, was arrested while driving on a highway in Tehran by officials who said they were traffic police, Amnesty International said in a statement.
The officials said the Oct. 15 arrest was for a traffic offense, but after arresting her, they took her to her family's home and confiscated her computer and other materials related to her research on the Iranian women's movement, the London-based rights group said in a statement posted on its Web site earlier this week.
Momeni, who is a member of the California branch of Change for Equality - an Iranian women's rights group - was later taken to Evin prison, Amnesty said. The Tehran facility is notorious for holding political prisoners.
Her family was told by an Iranian court on Monday that her case was still being investigated, and no details would be released until after the probe was completed, the group said.
Iranian judicial officials have not commented on the case, and no other details were immediately available in Iran.
The university is calling for her release.
"Anyone who values knowledge and the role of academic inquiry in shedding light on the human condition should be concerned," said the university's president Jolene Koester.
In Washington, the State Department said it was aware of reports of Momeni's arrest and was seeking more information.
Momeni was aware of the risks of her work, said Melissa Wall, her thesis adviser and director of the university's mass communications graduate program.
"We talked about the dangers," Wall said. "But in the end, it was her decision to go. She was interested in communicating to Americans a broader image of Iranian women. She has a lovely presence, she smiled a lot."
Momeni was nearing the scheduled end of her stay when she was arrested, Wall said.
Amnesty said dozens of other activists and supporters have been arrested in Iran in connection with their activities with the Change for Equality campaign, launched by Iranian women activists in September 2006.
The campaign is seeking to collect a million signatures in support of changing laws that deny women in Iran equal rights in matters such as divorce and court testimonies.
Momeni's arrest comes about a year after several Iranian-Americans accused of stirring up a revolution were released from Evin prison after spending months in detention. All four denied the accusations.
The jailings elevated tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which are already at odds over U.S. accusations that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and is fueling violence in Iraq. Iran denies both claims.
Born in Los Angeles, Momeni enrolled at Cal State, Northridge in 2006, according to the university. Momeni's father came to Los Angeles in 1977 to pursue a civil engineering degree at Cal State. He later returned to Iran with his family.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



what do you need ?
freedom of speech? access to information? freedom of association? access to rights and representation in courts of law? political representation? Health care? water?
Barbaric, indeed.
Why do we need to get her back, we didn''t send her over there. She is old enough to know the risk which she close to ignore. She is on her own, and that ramble rousing outfit that she is asscociated with should go over and join her.
I totally agree with you and well said. I have heard other countries calling us "cowboys" and whatnot but I know that most of us do not feel that way. I also know that Iran''s people are peace loving, it is the same with the majority of Iraq''s people. We all want the same, life liberty and to be able to live peacefully and raise our families.
He/she(?)is probably smoking marijuana grown on BLM
and National Park lands again...
Barbaric, indeed.
Posted by kaubey at 09:49 AM : Oct 24, 2008
He will not respond to anyone. The guy is ripping off peoples names (mine included) & using CBS as his personal spam dump site to advertise his or his boss''s website. Just look at almost any story and you will see his ads.
I am curious how much activity posting here has sent to his website courtesy of CBS. CBS should ask for a cut of his profit.
Plus sarah palin $150,000.00 on clothes, most Americans could have bought a home for that amount!
Besides I think Sarah Palin is really a Terrorist
Breaking News: The Terrorist Group AKA Alaska Independent party Calling on Russia to help secede from the Union
www.chilitoz.com
Extremists Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll former leaders of the Alaska Terrorist group AKA Independence Party and friends of Sarah Palin are calling on Russia to help them gain independence from the United States.
Watch video of Sarah palin addressing The Alaska Terrorist Group also known as The Independence party. They are calling for a civil war against the mainland.
www.chilitoz.com
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Posted by listenupfool at 10:36 AM : Oct 24, 2008
No, it is not stupidity. He sounds more like a pscychopathic brutal killes. ... notice how he always talks about brutalized dead babies.
He needs to be investigated by FBI. I wont be surprised if he does horrible violent stuff with babies in his basement
And this is what happened in this woman case.
I commend her for standing up and doing something that most of the world would NEVER do. Can''t fault her for trying to fight for womens rights. I guess all you loonies would have gotten up and moved to the back of bus huh?
I commend her for standing up and doing something that most of the world would NEVER do. Can''''t fault her for trying to fight for womens rights. I guess all you loonies would have gotten up and moved to the back of bus huh?
Posted by mjm117 at 11:59 AM : Oct 24, 2008
But, you do have to fault her for not being too smart. By doing what she has she has taken herself out of the fight. Would it not be better for her to not be in prison and fighting for women''s rights from the outside. She has proven that she isn''t the sharpest tool in the shed.
A company I work for uses the excuse "We''ve done it this way for a hundred years" to cover engineering mistakes. My answer without fail is "And for a hundred years you have been wrong". Muslims are so afraid of women learning anything that they have ''beheaded, stoned, imprisoned and treated them with contemp for over 1400 years. This tells me that Muslims are more thick heaaded than their western brothers. Even the people I work for change their minds when I am proved right, (which is often).
Posted by Good4Always at 11:23 AM : Oct 24, 2008
Thats right! who knows, He/she/it might be a serial killer tempting us with clues and laughing behind our backs.
Posted by redbds at 12:44 PM : Oct 24, 2008
Gee...somebody who constantly talks the evils of Democrats and the wisdom of Republicans - and particularly this President - criticizing someone who takes the fight right smack into the middle of Iran without the support of a massive army.
What - is it her failure to know her place as a woman that gets under your skin?
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Posted by redbds at 12:44 PM : Oct 24, 2008
I disagree. Unfortunately, we wouldn''t be reading an article about her most likey if she hadn''t been put in jail in Iran. This may actually bring more light to her cause.
Deep fried Umah anyone?
The U.S. Government should be DEMANDING her release immediately ! This is an outrage !
yeah hi, do you believe a judge should go to prison for attempting to rule that attempted murder by forcible suffocation not only isn''''''''t a crime at all in florida, it isn''''''''t a tort at all in florida, in fact it''''''''s a medical procedure, for which priviledge i''''''''m forced to give the state my whole life savings?
doesn''''''''t that sound bad?
this is a real lawsuit, orange co. case # 2003 ca 5314. i am totally unrepresented, haven''''''''t been able to find a lawyer in 7 years. the judge is cynthia mackinnon, and if i could fire her i would have fired her four years ago. after all this time i still have no clue whether she is republican or democrat.
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by dooney8
October 27, 2008 4:19 PM EDT
- srz25, is that your inmate number. This is an article about a woman arrested in Iraq and you''re talking about an unrelated, personal court case. Let me guess, someone was trying to kill you by suffocation and you defended yourself.
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