U.S. Student Jailed In Iran

California Woman In Tehran For Research, Family Visit Arrested, Amnesty International Says

(AP)  An American university student and women's rights activist has been arrested in Iran while visiting her family and conducting research for her graduate degree thesis, a human rights group has said.

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.

[dooney8]

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.

[prelgovisk]

Don''t worry, ...Obama will talk to them and they will suddenly become our friends.

[cheris13-2009]

she is a winner

[cheris13-2009]

waffles,lol,lol,lol,she is very brave,she is smart,she weighed the cost and found the need ,to be more important than her safety.

[zietzke-2009]

More feudelism from the terrorist regime / government of Iran...I hope this young lady is released very soon and unharmed.

The U.S. Government should be DEMANDING her release immediately ! This is an outrage !

[wwudiver]

Click, click pull. Bomb those *** into next week. We need to be responsible with our nuclear power, let''s let some of those *** know that we can and will use it. If you injure an American anywhere in the world, you should know that we will kill you, your children and your grandmother. Then we will go eat some waffles. Discussion on conventional warfare is obsolete. Never, under any condition touch an American, not a suggestion, we can and we should send unmitigated destruction to their neck of the woods. It is not hawkish to defend your people, that is what a nation does.

Deep fried Umah anyone?

[mjm117]

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.


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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.

[good4always]

She is Beautiful. She is turning me ON big time. I want her to have platonic sexual relationship with no string attached.

[talkingham]

And we should arrest her when she gets back tot he USA for going back to iran.

[missingamerica]

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.

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?