Iranian activist accepts feminist award on behalf of imprisoned women

Feminist Majority Foundation awarded a prize to Esha Momeni in recognition of all Iranian women’s rights activists and the women who have been arrested in the recent protests in Iran.

In the past eleven months, thousands of protesters have been arrested in Iran and a large number of them are women’s rights activists.

Esha Momeni, a graduate student in the School of Communications at California State University, is also a member of Iran's One Million Signature Campaign to End Discriminatory Laws.

She was arrested in Tehran in 2008 while there to research her master’s degree on the One Million Signatures Campaign activists.

Upon receiving the Feminist Majority award, she declared that Iranian women are now aware of their rights and it is no longer possible to silence them.

Helen Cho, Feminist Majority board member described Iranian women as “courageous women” who are trying to change the current situation without letting imprisonment and torture drive them into despair.

The event took place on Tuesday, May 4, in the presence of a number of Los Angeles city officials and women’s and minority rights activists.

Feminist Majority Foundation is an America NGO that has been active since 1987 “to promote equality for women and men, non-violence, reproductive health, peace, social justice and economic development and to enhance feminist participation in public policy.”

This years other winners were Khaled Hoseini, Afghan author of best seller, The Kite Runner, Gloria Steinem, American feminist and founder of Ms. Magazine, and Dolores Huerta, Mexican labour activist.

Last year the Iranian women’s rights organization, One Million Signature Campaign to End Discriminatory Laws was a winner of Feminist Majority Foundation award.