Bahareh Hedayat's Prison Sentence Extended to Five Years

On December 28, activists focused on women's issues marked a bitter anniversary: five years since the arrest of Bahareh Hedayat. Susan Tahmasebi, a social activist and women's rights advocate residing in the United States, joined us. Ms. Tahmasebi, let us hear from you why Bahareh Hedayat was arrested and how long she is expected to remain in prison? Susan Tahmasebi: As you know, Bahareh Hedayat is an activist in the student and women's movements and has received a seven-year sentence related to her activities in the student field, along with a two-year sentence previously imposed for her participation in a women’s gathering on July 7. In total, her sentences amount to nine and a half years. She had issued a statement from prison for the Student Day on December 16, for which she received an additional six-month sentence. Overall, she is currently serving a ten-year sentence. Bahareh Hedayat was arrested on December 28, 2009, and now five years have passed. She has served half of her sentence. Despite some individuals being released earlier or granted extended leave, this has not happened for Bahareh Hedayat or some other students. I think it is very important for us, as women activists and student activists, to remember our friends who are in prison serving long sentences. We may not be able to do anything to secure their release, even if we oppose these sentences and believe they are unjust. However, it is important to remember them so that they know that this long period they are spending in prison has not caused them to be forgotten, and we still appreciate their efforts, both in human rights activism and in women's issues. Is it clear how many women are currently imprisoned on charges related to women's issues? I believe Bahareh Hedayat is the only woman who has a sentence directly related to her activities in the women's field. As far as I know, there are no other women in prison with sentences related to their activities in this area. However, there are many women prisoners at present. Recently, I saw a list that included about 80 political female prisoners. Most of them were likely arrested for religious beliefs or for advocating minority rights. There are individuals like Mahdieh Golroo, who is currently in temporary detention. She has been in custody for over 60 days due to her activities in the women's field; she was arrested during a protest against acid attacks that occurred in Isfahan. Unfortunately, the person responsible for the acid attacks on women has not been arrested, but Mahdieh Golroo, who protested against the acid attacks and policies that may encourage such violence against women, is in prison under uncertain conditions, and it is unclear what her charges are, which is very concerning. Ms. Tahmasebi, is Bahareh Hedayat the only political female prisoner facing such a long sentence? There are indeed many women serving long sentences in prison. For example, Zeinab Jalalian was sentenced to death for her connection with PJAK, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. She has been in prison for a long time and is in very poor condition. Reports indicate that she is losing her eyesight. There are also Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet, who are Baha'is and have received twenty-year sentences. They have been imprisoned since 2008 and have not had a single day of leave. I mention these cases to emphasize that even though we, as women activists, may oppose their sentences, it does not mean we should forget them or stop trying to improve their conditions in prison. I believe it is important for us to take action and ask the judiciary and security system to respect the rights of these prisoners during their time in prison. Ali Akbar Mahzoon, the director of the Population Statistics and Information Office of Iran's Civil Registration Organization, has reported an increase in the average age of marriage. According to him, the average age of marriage for women has reached 24. This is while in 2013, the average age of marriage for women was 22 and for men was 27. Mehrdad Darvishpour, a sociology professor at Stockholm University in Sweden, discussed the factors contributing to the rising age of marriage in Iran in an interview with my colleague Shirin Famili. He stated: "One reason is the economic difficulties that make starting a family, especially in Iran where marriage and wedding ceremonies are costly, more challenging. The second aspect is a tendency towards modernity and individuality, influenced by a process observed globally, where the role of family has diminished in all modern societies. Individuals are more focused on self-actualization, and this growth of individuality and new life patterns has led to a general decline in the role of family. One sign of the diminishing role of family is the increase in the age at which people start a shared life and pursue a more individual lifestyle." According to Mehrdad Darvishpour, young women face more challenging conditions for starting a shared life: "For women, this is more relevant. In the past, the role of women as mothers, wives, and homemakers was more defined, but today many women are focused on education, employment, and self-actualization, viewing family as a burdensome tool and even seeing it as an obstacle due to the patriarchal roles within families. Therefore, the younger generation is particularly inclined to avoid immediate family involvement and seeks greater equality before entering into a shared life. They want to gain more experience and not become trapped in a family life that could confine them for the rest of their lives. Thus, gender awareness, modern lifestyle, and economic pressures are three factors that contribute to the overall increase in marriage age and the diminishing importance of family." Despite all this, according to Mr. Darvishpour, the rising age of marriage cannot be viewed as fundamentally negative: "From the perspective of gender equality, it is definitely positive, and not just for women... Entering into a shared life without having experienced the ups and downs of life, without having achieved a suitable economic and social position, and without having found oneself increases the risk of failure in that life. Therefore, from this perspective, I believe it is positive, and also in a society where the individual is the basis of modern society, forcing individuals into collective family lives, especially under parental pressure to marry immediately, will lead to negative outcomes. It will kill individuality and make it difficult to provide good upbringing for children in those families. Roya Karimi Majd began her journalism career in Iran in 1992 and joined Radio Farda in 2008. She produces the weekly program 'Another Voice,' which focuses on women's issues. In 2015, the Golden Microphone at the New York Radio Festival was awarded to the radio program 'Sentegh,' which was produced by Roya Karimi Majd.