Amnesty International Calls for 'Unconditional Release' of Homa Hoodfar

The human rights organization Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Homa Hoodfar, a Canadian university professor imprisoned in Iran. In a statement published on Thursday, June 9, on its website, the NGO stated that Ms. Hoodfar's detention was 'related' to her 'peaceful activities.' Amnesty International referred to Homa Hoodfar as a 'prisoner of conscience' and urged the Canadian government to 'take all necessary diplomatic actions to ensure her immediate release and safe return to Canada.' The Canadian government had previously expressed concern about Homa Hoodfar's situation, emphasizing that it would do 'whatever it takes' to secure her release. Omar Al-Jabra, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, stated, 'This is a very urgent matter. We are deeply concerned about Dr. Hoodfar, and we will do everything we can to ensure she is freed as soon as possible.' Homa Hoodfar, 65, was arrested on June 6 after being summoned to the Security Prosecutor's Office in Tehran, but the reason for her detention remains unclear. In addition to her Iranian and Canadian citizenship, she also holds Irish citizenship. However, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize dual nationality. Previously, in 2003, a dual national citizen of Iran and Canada named Zahra Kazemi was killed in Evin Prison in Tehran, an incident that severely impacted the relations between the two countries, and its aftershocks are still felt. Iranian judicial authorities at that time attributed Ms. Kazemi's death to fainting and hitting her head on the ground. However, the investigative committee of the sixth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly accused Judge Saeed Mortazavi, who was the prosecutor of Tehran at that time, of assaulting Zahra Kazemi during her detention.